Opponents Say Venezuelan President Chavez Violates Constitution

Three Venezuelan opposition political leaders from different parties told a Jan. 12 Newsmaker that "anti-democratic" actions by President Hugo Chavez and the National Assembly have led to "the alarming weakening of...Venezuelan democracy, alterations to the constitutional order and...disrespect for popular will as expressed in parliamentary elections" in September.

The speakers were Omar Barboza, congressman and president of the Un Nuevo Tiempo (A New Time) political party; Ismael Garcia, congressman and general secretary of the Podemos (We Can) party; and Ramon Jose Medina, international relations coordinator of the Mesa de Unidad Democratica (Democratic Unity Platform) party.

The three had met immediately before the Newsmaker with Organization of American States Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza and released a letter to him in which they claimed that actions by Chavez and the legislature "violate the constitutional order, do not adhere to the rule of law, do not respect human rights and violate the principles of separation and independence of public powers."

All of this, they said, constitute a "fraud upon the law by the Venezuelan state."

Further, according to the letter, "a clear and serious breach of constitutional order" occured Dec. 14, when Chavez asked the National Assembly to grant him an "enabling law, which was immediately done, delegating to him extraordinary powers to legislate by decree in a range of areas," including legal punishment, public security, national defense and international cooperation.

The group said they urged Insulza and the OAS to "adopt appropriate measures necessary to achieve normalization of democratic institutions in Venezuela."

-- Peter Hickman, [email protected]