The Venezuelan Supreme Court rules that it is not necessary for Chavez to be sworn in on Jan. 10th. because there is continuity, thus backing the interpretation being sold by Maduro and Co. The principle of continuity and preservation of the popular will can not be violated. Thus Chavez can be sworn in whenever he can and the Executive powers will continue exercising their duties. There is no absence of any sort, just a continuation of the earlier leave.
This contradicts two earlier sentences by the same Court, but hey! the Venezuelan Constitution is like silly putty and toilet paper at the same time for Chavismo.
Absurd as it may be, the word continuity does not appear once in the Venezuelan Constitution, the decision is the law of the land in Venezuela.
Why didn’t they decide this a week ago?
We may never know. All we know is Chavez can now be absent as long as he wants.
(The logic is truly amazing, the President of the Court says that all that matters is this phantom “continuity” concept with Art. 235 of the Constitution. The rest of the Constitution she simply ignores, from 231 to 234. Priceless)
The Devil's Excrement 
January 9, 2013 at 8:59 pm
I don’t Chavez will be back till they finish the new Pantheon which will be the new presidential residence. Watch this Video and you will get what I mean. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsJtiAVKIDc
All this gives us some idea of how they will deal with the economic and other issues at hand. I was there in the 90’s when the Bolivar was in free fall and banks were going under every day and the government was saying “NO PROBLEMO” At this point Venezuela does not have just a fiscal cliff, its sitting on a fiscal Tepuy! If they manage to climb off it, chances are they will fall into a sink hole just as deep.
January 9, 2013 at 7:00 pm
As I recall from PoliSci I the essential principle of “legitimacy” of government is that it comes from the people. The second thing I recall is that during a “revolution” individual rights and laws are subordinated to the goals of the revolution. We better get clear that Chavismo is a revolution that many of us don’t want! However, it is a very ineffective revolution that nobody should want. Whether or not there is rule of law, is not as important as other things right now, like food on the shelves, workers not getting paid, pensioners not getting their payments, factories not able to get parts, etc. These issues are the Achilles’ heel of Chavismo! The fact is that the economy is going bankrupt… and there is no head of government at the helm!
January 9, 2013 at 6:25 pm
This is one:
http://www.tsj.gov.ve/decisiones/scon/Mayo/626-26509-2009-09-0026.html
the second one had to do with when Chavez should be sworn in in 2000.
January 9, 2013 at 6:17 pm
Miguel, You said “This contradicts two earlier sentences by the same Court,” Care to mention and/or link them?
January 9, 2013 at 4:26 pm
In any country where law is respected, the Supreme Court cannot decide a case without hearing from the parties. What’s the point of having the right to a lawyer if legal argument isn’t entertained?
January 9, 2013 at 4:12 pm
[…] Why didn’t they decide this a week ago? […]
January 9, 2013 at 5:57 pm
My personal opinion is that deciding this a week ago would have sent a clear signal to the people that they knew damned good and well that Chavez was not going to show, ie, he’s really sicker than we’re letting on (remember him squeezing Maduro’s hand forcefully while they “talked”?).
For all of them (Chavistas in control) waiting till the very last minute was their way of feigning……..Comandante could gain sufficient health to bless us with his presence on 10 January.
January 9, 2013 at 6:03 pm
Agreed.
January 9, 2013 at 3:19 pm
Show the people of Venezuela PROOF OF LIFE !!
Until they believe , see, and hear Chavez, there is no PROOF OF LIFE!!
January 9, 2013 at 3:11 pm
It is my opinion that Maduro and Cabello are owed a thunderous round of applause from all of us. You betcha. Clap till you’re red in the palms of your hands. Stomp your feet! Pump your fist into the air with shouts of, “Way to Go!” Wake the neighbors by banging on the walls. Might I suggest that you get your lazy a$$ outta that office chair you’re sitting in, stand up and give these guys some of your best hoots and whistles as well. They surely deserve it. They’ve earned our respect. They had an easy 6 years locked~up of continued government corruption and widespread theft, yet chose to hang themselves by their own petard. Stupid doesn’t even begin to describe this. An election held in the next 2 to 4 weeks would have been easily winnable. Now the blithering idiots managed to kick the can down the road ( a new Presidential election) to March or April. As any knowledgable pundit will tell you, that ‘one’ will be much, much more difficult to win. Wow. Breathtaking.
January 9, 2013 at 6:26 pm
Don’t be naïve. There will be no election in March or April. Next election is 2018, if there are elections. Castro has spoken.
January 10, 2013 at 3:47 am
I’m somewhat concerned about the actions against Pepsicola. If Chavez is not calling the shots now, then who did? These are tough thugs! it worries me.
January 9, 2013 at 3:07 pm
Using the above logic, the “popular will” of the people will not be violated as long as chavez remains president…even it it means that you need a voodoo doctor and a seance to comunicate with him. If it is leaked that he is indeed not still walking among us, then because chavez said that maduro should take over as president, than the “popular will” of the people will continue if maduro assumes the role of president. The castros haven’t remained in power this long by being stupid.
January 9, 2013 at 7:00 pm
Exactly. Chavez “is the people” is the rule of the day.
January 9, 2013 at 2:03 pm
“We may never know. All we know is Chavez can now be absent as long as he wants.”
I’d say, rather, for as long as Fidel wants, since, for all we know, Chavez may not even be around anymore (“show me the body”, anyone?)
January 9, 2013 at 1:56 pm
This actually isn’t a bad development. It just ensures the opposition will have the time to regroup for an electoral campaign and that the new election will be held during an acute economic crisis.
Unless, of course, the court bypasses the elections entirely, aka initiates a coup. Sadly, this is quite likely.
January 9, 2013 at 2:42 pm
I don’t that there will be elections any time soon. The SC basically said that Chavez continues in office, having been reelected. If another Capriles had won, there wouldn’t have been continuity, so the logic goes.
Brazil et al will agree. The opposition will thus be sidelined. Short term, I think that there are only three catalysts: Chavez dies and news of this is leaked; Chavismo splits; people rebel and initiate major demonstrations and strikes.
January 9, 2013 at 1:00 pm
OK here is a plot for this “Derecho de Nacer” saga. Chavez will “die” Feb 4th, so they can link him to a such important data for the Chavistas…the manipulation and brain washing will continue until Presidential elections are organized very close to the Assembly representatives (diputados)…so the same scenario of 7O and 16Dec will happen again.
January 9, 2013 at 12:52 pm
Sadly, this proves, that the Constitution 1999, is merely a “smoke screen”!
[1] Chavez gets a referendum to modify, his possibility to more Presidential re-elections = Dictatorship!
[2] The Supreme Court contradicts itself in jurisprudence, and now does not know how to interpret what is badly written, and becomes a Constitution!
[3] How can these people show so much willful ignorance! Or is it that they think they know or care what they do?
The non-logic is obs-cene!
January 9, 2013 at 12:55 pm
Methods do not count, only results!
Something like Canada!
January 9, 2013 at 12:47 pm
What else did you expect? The court is Chavista.
January 9, 2013 at 12:35 pm
I wouldn’t be surprised if they send a Venezuelan frigate to a Cuban harbor and roll Chavez on a wheel chair to be sworn in on “Venezuelan territory”
January 9, 2013 at 2:36 pm
… and take his zombie to the Bermuda Triangle where he will be forever. Then use a Cuban Medium to talk to his undead self and ask him how he wants to run the country.
January 9, 2013 at 6:57 pm
Nice to see you here.
January 9, 2013 at 12:11 pm
The show must go on!