National Elections Municipal and Regional Elections

 Presidential Elections  Legislative Elections  National Cast of State and Local Elections (1958 – 1978)

 Minority Presidents ( ) Presidents During Bi- party Dominance WINNERS Rómulo Betancourt Raul Leoni Rafael Caldera I Carlos Andrés Pérez I Luis Herrera Campins Jaime Lusinchi Carlos Andrés Pérez II

 Caldera’s Second Victory Shatters AD-COPEI Dominance  Chavez Victory in 1998 leads to a new political regime WINNERS Rafael Caldera II Hugo Chavez I

 Election rules  Proportional list  Control by central party organizations  Divided congress during the multiparty system  AD demands patronage for cooperation during the two COPEI governments  Tight control by AD during Lusinchi government ( )

 AD retains control of Congress with diminished majorities ( ) Election rules  Shift to a mixed system of voting for congress  Proportional list slowly reduced  Increase of single, member district – winner take all  Elections of December 1993  Caldera government lacks majority  AD assists Caldera in return for patronage (return of earlier pattern)  Separate legislative elections in December 1998  Divided congress with AD retaining largest delegation  Congress is closed down as constituent Assembly picks up support

 Centralized control of municipal elections ( )  Centralized control of regional governments ( )  Appointment of governors  Single ballot elects governors  Municipal Reforms of 1978  Separation of municipal elections  City manager system and its frustration

 Dynamics of growing dissatisfaction  COPRE and the Lusinchi government  C.A. Perez’s advocacy of reform  Reforms of 1989  Creation of the office of Elected Mayor  Mixed system of electing municipal councilmen  Juntas Parrochiales  Shortage of resources reduces impact of decentralization reforms

 Direct election of governors  State Legislatures on a “mixed” basis  Direction election of mayors  Strengthening of Parish Councils

 Struggle to retain dominance by central party organizations of AD and COPEI  Emergence of local power bases opposed to two-party domination  CAUSA R in the industrial state of Bolivar  MAS in Aragua

 National elections of 1998  Constituent Assembly and Constitutional Referendum of 1999  Continued domination by the Patriotic Pole  Manipulated electoral law shuts out opposition from writing of the new constitution  December referendum on the new constitution  Overwhelming approval  Abstention high

 Conditions  Plurality – six year term  Delay of balloting  The Contendors  MVR and MAS back Chavez  Francisco Arias Cardenas spearheads the opposition  Claudio Fermin: Punto Fijo revival?  Outcome  Chavez wins 60% of the total popular vote

 Conditions  Mixed list-plurality system  Five-year term  The Contendors  MVR and MAS form Patriotic Pole  AD fields candidates in all states  New political parties in the regions (states)  Outcome  Patriotic Pole wins majority – but unable to modify the constitution  AD has largest opposition delegation  Middle class parties elect numerous Assemblymen

 Conditions  Governors elected – first past the post (five year terms)  Mixed list-plurality system for state legislatures  The Contendors  MVR and MAS form Patriotic Pole  AD fields candidates in all states  New political parties in the regions (states)  Outcome  Patriotic Pole wins 16 of the 21 governors  Zulia remains with the opposition  Central states (Aragua & Carabobo) back opposition  AD elects governors in the Llanos

 Conditions  Mayors elected in mega-elections of July 30, 2000  Councilmen elected in December local elections  Neighborhood councils elected in December local elections  The Contendors  MVR and MAS form Patriotic Pole  AD fields candidates in most municipalities  New political parties in the regions run candidates for mayor/councilmen  Outcome  Patriotic Pole wins a majority of majors, but just barely  AD elects almost 30% of the majors s  Junta parochiales split among opposition and government forces

Abstention