National Assembly (Venezuela)
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National Assembly of Venezuela Asamblea Nacional de Venezuela | |
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Unicameral | |
History | |
Preceded by | Congress of Venezuela |
Leadership | |
Jorge Rodríguez, PSUV since 5 January 2021 | |
Minority Leader | José Gregorio Correa, AD |
Structure | |
Seats | 277 |
Political groups | Government (253)
Opposition (21)
Others (3)
|
Elections | |
Parallel voting | |
Last election | 6 December 2020 |
Next election | 2025 |
Meeting place | |
Federal Legislative Palace, Caracas | |
Website | |
asambleanacionalvenezuela |
Venezuela portal |
The National Assembly (
Legislative history
1961 Constitution
Under its previous
The Senate was made up of two senators per
The members of the Chamber of Deputies were elected by direct universal suffrage, with each state returning at least two. Deputies had to be at least 21 years old.
The Senate and the Chamber of Deputies were each led by a President, and both performed their functions with the help of a Directorial Board. The President of Senate of Venezuela hold additional title of the President of Congress, and was constitutional successor of the President of Venezuela in case of a vacancy.[3] This succession took place in 1993, when Octavio Lepage succeeded Carlos Andrés Pérez.
1999 Constitution
2017 constitutional crisis
On 29 March 2017, the Supreme Court (TSJ) stripped the Assembly of its powers, ruling that all powers would be transferred to the Supreme Court. The previous year the court found the assembly in contempt for swearing in legislators whose elections had been deemed invalid by the court.[4] The 2017 court judgement declared that the "situation of contempt" meant that the assembly could not exercise its powers.[5] The action transferred powers from the Assembly, which had an opposition majority since January 2016,[5] to the Supreme Court, which has a majority of government loyalists.[4] The move was denounced by the opposition with Assembly President Julio Borges describing the action as a coup d'état by President Nicolás Maduro.[4] However, after public protests and condemnation by international bodies, the court's decision was reversed a few days later on 1 April.[6][7]
On 4 August 2017, Venezuela convened a new
On 18 August the Constituent Assembly summoned the members of the National Assembly to attend a ceremony acknowledging its legal superiority; the opposition members of the National Assembly boycotted the event.[9] In response, the Constituent Assembly stripped the National Assembly of its legislative powers, assuming them for itself.[10] It justified the move by claiming that the National Assembly had failed to prevent what it called "opposition violence" in the form of the 2017 Venezuelan protests.[11] The constitutionality of this move has been questioned, and it has been condemned by several foreign governments and international bodies.[10][12]
2020 contested leadership election
The
Guaidó was sworn in a session on 7 January after forcing his way in through police barricades. Parra has reiterated his claim to the presidency of the parliament.[16]
Structure and powers
Under the current
All deputies serve five-year terms and must appoint a replacement (suplente) to stand in for them during periods of incapacity or absence.[18] Under the 1999 constitution deputies could be reelected on up to two terms (Art. 192); under the 2009 Venezuelan constitutional referendum these term limits were removed.[19] Deputies must be Venezuelan citizens by birth, or naturalized Venezuelans with a period of residency in excess of 15 years; older than 21 on the day of the election; and have lived in the state for which they seek election during the previous four years (Art. 188).[18]
Beyond passing legislation (and being able to block any of the president's legislative initiatives), the Assembly has a number of specific powers outlined in Article 187, including approving the budget, initiating
The Assembly is led by a President with 2 Vice Presidents, and together with a secretary and an assistant secretary, they form the Assembly Directorial Board, and when it is on recess twice a year, they lead a Standing Commission of the National Assembly together with 28 other MPs[citation needed].
Since 2010 the Assembly's 15 Permanent Committees, created by the 2010 Assembly Rules, are composed by MPs (ranging from the minimum of 7 to the maximum of 25) tackling legislation of various issues.[18] The Committees' offices are housed in the José María Vargas Building in Caracas, few hundred yards from the Federal Legislative Palace, the former building is also where the offices of the Assembly leadership are located.[20]
Electoral system
In the
Political composition
The
At the 2015 parliamentary election, the MUD won 109 of the 164 general seats and all three indigenous seats, which gave them a supermajority in the National Assembly; while the government's own coalition, the Great Patriotic Pole, won the remaining 55 seats. Voter turnout exceeded 70 percent.[25]
The result, however, was marred by the January 2016 suspension from the NA by the Supreme Tribunal of Justice of 4 elected MPs from Amazonas state due to alleged voter fraud and election irregularities. 3 of the 4 were opposition deputies and one was from the GPP. [citation needed]
Following the 2017 Venezuelan Constituent Assembly election the new Venezuelan Constitutional Assembly was inaugurated which has the power to rule over all other state institutions and rewrite the constitution. As of May 2019, the Constituent Assembly mandate is expected to expire on 31 December 2020 (after next National Assembly elections), a measure that replaces the previous resolution of August 2017 that established its validity for at least two years.[26]
In 2020, Maduro’s United Socialist Party of Venezuela and allied parties claimed to have captured 67 percent of seats in the National Assembly, but that election was also disputed by EU and U.S. officials. Nevertheless, since then Maduro has exercised majority control of the Venezuelan parliament, displacing Juan Guaidó from his oppositional presidency.[27]
Members
- I National Assembly of Venezuela
- II National Assembly of Venezuela
- III National Assembly of Venezuela
- IV National Assembly of Venezuela
- V National Assembly of Venezuela
Latest election
Movement for Socialism 77,311 | 1.23 | 0 | 136,185 | 1.24 | 0 | 0 | | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Union and Progress | 53,197 | 0.85 | 0 | 95,962 | 0.87 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
ProCitizens | 44,358 | 0.71 | 0 | 82,323 | 0.75 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
Popular Political Unit 89 | 19,179 | 0.31 | 0 | 37,197 | 0.34 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
New Vision for My Country | 16,046 | 0.26 | 0 | 30,641 | 0.28 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
Organised Independent Party | 7,327 | 0.12 | 0 | 13,341 | 0.12 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
Future Vision of Miranda | 1,760 | 0.03 | 0 | 2,910 | 0.03 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
New Pact | 1,721 | 0.03 | 0 | 3,097 | 0.03 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
Advanced Regional Movement | 1,666 | 0.03 | 0 | 2,054 | 0.02 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
Revolucionario Independiente Organizado Social | 1,624 | 0.03 | 0 | 2,982 | 0.03 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
Guayana Project | 1,448 | 0.02 | 0 | 3,464 | 0.03 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
Neighborhood Force | 1,427 | 0.02 | 0 | 2,575 | 0.02 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
Zuliana Action Party | 1,366 | 0.02 | 0 | 1,797 | 0.02 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
Democratic Prosperity Movement | 1,150 | 0.02 | 0 | 2,009 | 0.02 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
Socialist Renewal Movement | 1,137 | 0.02 | 0 | 1,139 | 0.01 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
United Aragua | 1,059 | 0.02 | 0 | 1,937 | 0.02 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
United Multi-Ethnic Peoples of Amazonas | 1,045 | 0.02 | 0 | 3,143 | 0.03 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
Caracas for All | 981 | 0.02 | 0 | 1,707 | 0.02 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
Aragua Democratic Platform | 871 | 0.01 | 0 | 1,614 | 0.01 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
Carabobans for Carabobo | 843 | 0.01 | 0 | 2,061 | 0.02 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
Sovereign Unity | 792 | 0.01 | 0 | 1,562 | 0.01 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
Renovación En Democracia Nacimiento Alternativo | 620 | 0.01 | 0 | 1,153 | 0.01 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
Play Fair | 510 | 0.01 | 0 | 1,165 | 0.01 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
PAM | 459 | 0.01 | 0 | 774 | 0.01 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
Everyone United for Amazonas | 431 | 0.01 | 0 | 1,314 | 0.01 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
Orinoco-South | 335 | 0.01 | 0 | 999 | 0.01 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
Independent Merideños Progressives | 319 | 0.01 | 0 | 321 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
Independent Lara | 307 | 0.00 | 0 | 952 | 0.01 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
New People Project | 242 | 0.00 | 0 | 389 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
Allied Democrats of Free Expression | 201 | 0.00 | 0 | 388 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
Change and Restructuring for Amazonas State | 174 | 0.00 | 0 | 520 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
Independent People | 149 | 0.00 | 0 | 155 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
Tinaquillo is First | 140 | 0.00 | 0 | 243 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
Yacimiento Indigenista Venezolano Independiente | 122 | 0.00 | 0 | 238 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
Sucre Awakens Liberation Movement | 917 | 0.01 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||
Indigenous seats | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
Total | 6,262,888 | 100.00 | 144 | 10,990,098 | 100.00 | 130 | 277 | ||||||||||
Valid votes | 6,262,888 | 99.29 | |||||||||||||||
Invalid/blank votes | 45,088 | 0.71 | |||||||||||||||
Total votes | 6,307,976 | 100.00 | |||||||||||||||
Registered voters/turnout | 20,710,421 | 30.46 | |||||||||||||||
Source: CNE |
Representatives per state, 2016–2021
Federal Entity | Representatives | Map | |
---|---|---|---|
Amazonas | 3 | ||
Anzoátegui | 8 | ||
Apure |
5 | ||
Aragua | 9 | ||
Barinas | 6 | ||
Bolívar |
8 | ||
Carabobo | 10 | ||
Cojedes | 4 | ||
Delta Amacuro | 4 | ||
Dependencias Federales |
— | ||
Distrito Capital | 9 | ||
Falcón | 6 | ||
Guárico | 6 | ||
Lara |
10 | ||
Mérida | 6 | ||
Miranda |
12 | ||
Monagas | 6 | ||
Nueva Esparta | 5 | ||
Portuguesa | 6 | ||
Sucre | 6 | ||
Táchira | 7 | ||
Trujillo | 5 | ||
Vargas |
4 | ||
Yaracuy |
5 | ||
Zulia | 15 | ||
Indigenous Representation Western, Eastern and Southern Regions |
3 | ||
Venezuela | 167 |
See also
- List of legislatures by country
- Politics of Venezuela
- Venezuelan Chamber of Deputies: lower house of Venezuela (1961–99)
- Senate of Venezuela: upper house of Venezuela (1961–99)
References
- ^ "Ley Orgánica de Procesos Electorales" (in Spanish). Consejo Nacional Electoral. Archived from the original on 29 September 2010. Retrieved 4 April 2011.
- ^ "Dos mil 719 candidatos se disputarán los curules de la Asamblea Nacional" (in Spanish). Venezolana de Televisión. Archived from the original on 10 May 2011. Retrieved 4 April 2011.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 October 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ a b c Romo, Rafael. "Venezuela's high court dissolves National Assembly". cnn.com. Archived from the original on 28 December 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
- ^ a b Casey, Nicolas; Torres, Patrica (30 March 2017). "Venezuela Moves a Step Closer to One-Man Rule". New York Times. Archived from the original on 2 May 2017. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
- ^ a b Robins-Early, Nick (7 August 2017). "A Timeline of Venezuela's Months of Protests And Political Crisis". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 23 August 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
- ^ Sandhu, Serina (15 August 2017). "Venezuela crisis: How a socialist government has managed to make its people poorer". Archived from the original on 20 August 2017.
- ^ "La Asamblea Nacional continuará sesionando y trabajando desde el Palacio Federal Legislativo". La Patilla (in European Spanish). 4 August 2017. Archived from the original on 4 August 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
- US News. Archived from the original on 20 August 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2017.)
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ignored (help - ^ a b Krygier, Rachelle; Faiola, Anthony (18 August 2017). "Venezuela's pro-government assembly moves to take power from elected congress". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 18 August 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
- ^ Mogollon, Mery; McDonnell, Patrick (19 August 2017). "Venezuela congress rejects what it denounces as government takeover". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 20 August 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
- ^ Graham-Harrison, Emma; López, Virginia (19 August 2017). "President Maduro strips Venezuela's parliament of power". the Guardian. Archived from the original on 12 March 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
- ^ "Two Venezuela lawmakers declare themselves Speaker". 6 January 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- ^ a b c Sánchez, Fabiola (5 January 2020). "Guaidó blocked from congress as Venezuelan conflict deepens". Associated Press. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- ^ a b "Juan Guaidó renunció a su partido Voluntad Popular para dedicarse a la presidencia interina de Venezuela". Infobae (in Spanish). 5 January 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
- ^ Sanchez, Fabiola (7 January 2020). "Venezuela opposition leader takes new oath amidst standoff". Associated Press. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
- ^ "Venezuela Summary" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 January 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)'s Constitution of 1999 with Amendments through 2009" (PDF).
- ^ "Debrief: New Report on Venezuela's Re-Election Referendum". NACLA. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
- ^ "Asamblea Nacional". Asamblea Nacional (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 March 2021.
- ^ CNN, Venezuela (Presidential) Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 27 September 2010
- ^ Donna Lee Van Cott (2005), From movements to parties in Latin America: the evolution of ethnic politics, Cambridge University Press. p29
- ^ Crisp, Brian F. and Rey, Juan Carlos (2003), "The Sources of Electoral Reform in Venezuela", in Shugart, Matthew Soberg, and Martin P. Wattenberg, Mixed-Member Electoral Systems - The Best of Both Worlds?, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003. pp. 173-194(22)
- ^ Crisp and Rey(2003:175)
- ^ "Venezuela Opposition Won Majority of National Assembly Seats". Bloomberg. 7 December 2015. Archived from the original on 6 December 2015. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
- ^ "Venezuelan constituent extends its operation until the end of 2020". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 21 May 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
- ^ "Venezuela’s Guaido vows to challenge Maduro’s congress win" aljazeera. 7 Dec 2020. Accessed 23 April 2023.
External links
- 1999 Constitution (unofficial English translation)
- (in Spanish) National Assembly website
- (in Spanish) Constitución de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela (html)
- (in Spanish) Constitución de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela (pdf)
- (in Spanish) 1961 Constitution amended as of 1983