Venezuela’s Supreme Court Suspends the Opposition-Dominated Parliament
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Source: Yahoo News
So much for Chavismo's 'belief in democracy':
Roughly a quarter of the way into a multi-hour speech last week, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro recalled a conversation he claimed to have had nine years ago with Hugo Chávez, his deceased predecessor. In Maduros telling, despite his electoral success, el Comandate had long harbored a secret desire to break definitively with the old bourgeoisie structures of representation that he felt distanced the government from the people. This is a task we have still to carry out, Maduro announced. Five days later, his government made good on that promise.
Over the past few days, tensions between the chavista government and the new opposition-dominated National Assembly, which was inaugurated last week after Decembers landslide election, reached a fever pitch. On Monday, the constitutional chamber of Venezuelas supreme court which in over 45,000 decisions over the last dozen years has never ruled against the presidency suspended the assembly and declared its leadership to be in contempt of the courts authority.
Its unclear what this determination means, since there is no constitutional basis for any of this. The supreme court claims that its ruling nullifies in advance any legislation the assembly might try to pass unless the opposition acquiesces to the suspension of three of its legislators, whom the government accuses of buying votes in the remote state of Amazonas. The stakes are high, since the loss of even a single legislator could neutralize the oppositions two-thirds supermajority, threatening its ability to reform the constitution or initiate a recall referendum against Maduro
Read more: Yahoo News
KamaAina
(78,249 posts)Got bias?
FBaggins
(26,727 posts)They have no desire to do more than pretend at democracy unless it temporarily serves their purpose.
COLGATE4
(14,732 posts)elected institutions and governments which respect them.
KamaAina
(78,249 posts)but that sentence is over-the-top biased.
christx30
(6,241 posts)I've just received word the Emperor has dissolved the council permanently. The last remnants of the Old Republic have been swept away."
yellowcanine
(35,698 posts)Thought I would say that before we get all high horsey about the Venezuelan political system.
Archae
(46,311 posts)(And I have my doubts based on Maduro's past lies...)
Then first Chavez, and now Maduro just don't like elected representatives.
They prefer rubber stamps, AKA "from the people."
Meanwhile Venezuela is going to hell in a handbasket, and Maduro and his cronies are so corrupt they stink on ice.
MADem
(135,425 posts)"Democratic" Bullshit they've been shopping all these years.
This is the beginning of the end. When Cuba doesn't need them anymore, they're toast.
Reter
(2,188 posts)He'll have no one to blame when the military overthrows him.
Originally here: http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/01/13/venezuelas-supreme-court-suspends-the-opposition-dominated-parliament/
Since this article was posted, the three disputed opposition law makers have stepped down.
So the immediate conflict has been defused.
Venezuela suspended opposition legislators to stand down (BBC)
DetlefK
(16,423 posts)He means a representation of the people except that the Representatives aren't elected?
Or a form of government where representation isn't based on a critical middle-class demanding to take part in the political process?
Oh, don't tell me.
Maduro wants the Caesar-system of Ancient Rome, when a dictator was coronated to speed up political decisions.
Or maybe the Soviet-system, where people get to form governing councils on a local level... except that somebody still has to make politics on a national level.
Or maybe the same system Gaddafi used: Local councils passing on their votes to a national parliament... except that this system is extremely prone to manipulation, gerrymandering and winner-takes-all.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libya#Independence.2C_Kingdom_of_Libya_and_Libya_under_Gaddafi_.281951-2011.29
one_voice
(20,043 posts)Doesn't meet SoP for LBN.
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