Washington -- Many analysts are expressing
surprise over the rejection of a referendum on a series
of constitutional changes that were designed to increase
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s authority over
his country, his first electoral defeat since assuming power
in 1998.
The measure, which would have approved a
long list of amendments to the 1999 constitution, such as
abolishing presidential term limits, reducing the autonomy
of Venezuela’s central bank, and allowing media censorship
and the suspension of civil liberties in times of emergency,
was defeated by voters on December 2.
"It was a close vote, 51 percent, and
that's despite the opposition not being able to get out
on TV and make its point. So I think that there's some interesting
analysis that can be done there by political experts,"
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said December 3.
The setback to Chavez’s ambitions
is not the first time a government has seen its quest for
expanded authority defeated via referendum. While a referendum
is a form of direct democracy, governments may be able to
manipulate the vote by controlling its timing, as well as
the language used to explain the ballot measures. But voter
rejection puts an immediate end to a government’s
aspirations, unless it resorts to outright tyranny.
In May and June 2005, the people of France
and the Netherlands dealt a blow to efforts to establish
a single constitution for members of the European Union,
rejecting the European Parliament’s authority to draft
the document for reasons ranging from national sovereignty
concerns to anti-globalization sentiments.
Following those votes, the governments of
Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom, each of which supported
the proposed EU constitution and also had committed to holding
referendums, delayed or stopped their preparations for a
vote.
In another example, Chile’s former
military ruler Augusto Pinochet, after using referendums
to replace the country’s constitution and prolong
his regime, presented himself as the sole candidate in a
1988 referendum that was called to grant him a second eight-year
term. Fifty-six percent of Chileans voted “no”
to the additional term, sealing the end of Pinochet’s
regime and paving the way for a transition from military
to democratic rule.
U.S. election ballots often include referendums
and initiatives, but only at the state and local levels.
Some, such as constitutional architect James Madison, feared
what he called “the tyranny of the majority”
that would result from the use of initiatives at the federal
level.
The system for changing the United States
Constitution is designed to be cumbersome and does not allow
the executive branch to take the initiative directly. As
laid out in Article 5 of the Constitution, the president
is dependent on the U.S. Congress or two-thirds of U.S.
state legislatures to request any constitutional amendment
he or she might favor. Then, in order to ratify the amendment,
three-fourths of U.S. state legislatures or state conventions
would need to approve it.
Stephen Kaufman
/ USINFO Staff Writer
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