William Safire on Caracas, California

June 23, 2003

Op-Ed piece in the NYT by William Safire entitled Caracas, California describing the parallels between voter disenchantment with their elected officials in both Venezuela and California. There is an important error in Safire’s article, the recall referendum was not agreed upon by Chavez and the opposition, but was a right granted in the Chavista-designed Constitution of 1999. Moreover, the Constitution does not allow Chavez to run, it clearly states that were Chavez to lose, an election would take place within thirty days to replace him. To be more precise it says that if the recall referendum is approved (Art. 72): “the mandate will be considered revoked and we will proceed to fill the absolute absence according to the Constitution and the law”. The Constitution states that the absolute absence of the President will be filled with an election thirty days after the absence takes place (Art. 233) if it occurs within the first four years of the mandate. Thus, it seems implausible to argue that the President’s absolute absence as defined by the Constitution will be filled within an election in which he is a candidate. Moreover, the new President is not being elected to a new term, but to complete the term of the President whose mandate was recalled (also part of Art. 233).

This entry was posted on June 23, 2003 at 7:27 pm and is filed under Venezuela.

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