Venezuela and Venezuelan News

Country Profile
Venezuela officially called the 'Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela' is a tropical country on the Northern Coast of South America.
Venezuela is divided into 23 states,a capital district
Venezuela is among the most urbanized countries in Latin America
Venezuela has been one of the world's leading exporters of oil and has the largest Oil Reserves
Venezuela was colonized by Spain in 1522, overcoming resistance from indigenous people. It became the first Spanish American colony to declare independence in 1811, but did not securely establish independence until 1821 (initially as a department of the federal republic of Gran Colombia( which included the territories of present-day Colombia,Venezuela,Ecuador,Panama,northern Peru and Northwest Brazil ) gaining full independence in 1830)
Venezuela first saw democratic rule from 1945 to 1948, and after a period of dictatorship has remained democratic since 1958.

Capital - Caracas
Currency - bolívar fuerte
Population - 30 Million
National Language - Spanish 


Government 
The President is the Head of the State and Head of the Govt.The term of Office is 6 Years with eleigibile for re-election for unlimited number of times.The President is elected by Vote of adult citizens directly.The voting age in Venezuela is 18 and older.
Venezuelan Parliament '' Asamblea Nacional '' (National Assembly) is Unicameral.

The number of members is variable, each state and the Capital district elect three representatives plus the result of dividing the state population by 1.1% of the total population of the country.

Venezuela's Murder Rate is the Highest in South America

 


The Venezuela Violence Observatory says at least 19,336 people have been killed this year, an average of 53 a day. The figures suggest Venezuela's murder rate is the highest in South America and four times that of Mexico.

In November2011, President Hugo Chavez announced the creation of a new armed force - the People's Guard - to improve public security. Thousands of troops were deployed to support police on the streets of Caracas(Caracas is the capital and largest city in Venezuela) and other regions where crime levels are high .

 


Several Latin American countries have murder rates far higher than the global average of 6.9 murders per 100,000 people.In 2011 Venezuela had a murder rate of 67 per 100,000 inhabitants.

2012 Venezuela Presidential Elections - Oct 7,2012

The election is to take place on Oct 7,2012Incumbent President Hugo Chavez Frias (United Socialist Party of Venezuela - PSUV)

announced his candidacy at a rally held in Caracas in Nov 2010, seeking re-election for a third term (2013–2019) and on Aug 4, 2011 members of the coalition(Communist Party of  Venezuela(PCV)

and Venezuelan Popular Unity(UPV)

ratified the candidacy of President Hugo Chavez Frias.


President Hugo Chavez  Re-elected  

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was re-elected on Sunday Oct 7,2012 to a 4th term who polled 54.42 % of the votes with about 90 % of the ballots counted while Henrique Capriles, the unified opposition candidate, received 44.97 %.

Chavez had secured 7.4 million votes and Capriles 6.1 million votes, election officials said.

Chavez, who has been president since 1999, defeated Henrique Capriles Radonski, whose campaign criticized the Chavez administration for inefficiencies, infrastructure shortcomings and corruption.

Hugo Chavez Names New Vice President -  Oct 10,2012

 

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez named a new vice president on Wednesday, choosing his longtime foreign minister, Nicolas Maduro.

 

Chavez made the announcement at an event where he was declared the winner of Sunday's presidential election. He called for a round of applause for his outgoing vice president, Elias Jaua, who has held the post since 2010.

Maduro has been Venezuela's top diplomat since 2006, and his prominence at government events in recent months had generated speculation that Chavez might choose him as his next vice president

 

Fire at Venezuela's Amuay Refinery - Saturday Aug 25,2012

 

Amuay is part of the Paraguana Refinery Complex, which also includes the adjacent Cardon refinery. Together, the two refineries process about 900,000 barrels of crude a day and 200,000 barrels of gasoline.

 

A huge explosion rocked Venezuela’s biggest oil refinery early Saturday, killing at least 19 people and injuring more than 50 others in the deadliest disaster.

 

 

The blast occurred after 1 a.m. when a gas leak created a cloud that ignited, Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez said

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's Socialist Party Wins State Elections -Sunday Dec 16,2012

 

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's Socialist Party has increased the number of governorships it holds, winning 20 of the country's 23 states.The vote was the first time in Hugo Chavez’s nearly 14-year-old presidency that he has been unable to actively campaign.
The Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's Socialist Party not only increased the number of governorships they held from 18 to 20, but they took two key states from the opposition - Zulia, the cradle of the country's oil sector, and Carabobo, Venezuela's industrial heartland.

The opposition coalition held on to two key states, including Miranda, where Henrique Capriles was re-elected.Henrique Capriles, held onto the governorship of Miranda state by defeating former Vice-President Elias Jaua. Having lost in October's presidential polls to Hugo Chavez,he needed this win to revive his political career.

The opposition had held the governorships in 8 states, and it lost in 5 of those states according to the results announced by National Electoral Council President Tibisay Lucena.

 

Hugo Chavez swearing-in delay legal, Venezuela's SC Rules 

 

Venezuela's Supreme Court has ruled that the postponement of President Hugo Chavez's inauguration for a new term in office is legal.

Opposition leader Henrique Capriles accepted the ruling as binding, but said it did not end the uncertainty facing Venezuela.

SC President Luisa Estella Morales said it would be "absurd" to consider Mr Chavez's treatment in Cuba as an unauthorised absence.
She said that the oath of office could be taken at a later date, as the constitution states, and Mr Chavez's re-election had guaranteed "continuity" in government.
In a televised statement, SC President Luisa Estella Morales read out the unanimous decision of the panel of seven magistrates who handle constitutional issues before the court.

She said there was a clear distinction between the act of taking the oath and the beginning of a new mandate.

The Supreme Court considered the swearing-in an important formality, but not indispensable for the start of the new presidential term, she said.

She said that the swearing-in ceremony would no doubt happen.
"But at this moment, we can't say when, how, or where he [the president] will be sworn in", SC President Luisa Estella Morales said.
Note
Hugo Chavez is in hospital in Cuba after undergoing cancer surgery.
Earlier,on Tuesday Jan 8,2013 the National Assembly voted to give Mr Chavez as much time as he needed to recover.