History of Venezuela (1999–present) facts for kids

Venezuelan soldiers carrying red flags with Chavéz's eyes imprinted as the text reads Chavez vive. La lucha sigue ("Chavéz lives. The struggle continues")

Since 1999, Venezuela has seen big changes in its government and society. The country moved away from a free-market economy, which means less government control, and started focusing more on sharing wealth and creating social programs to help people.

Back then, President Hugo Chávez changed Venezuela's foreign policy a lot. Instead of staying close to the United States and Europe, Chávez wanted to build stronger ties with countries in the Global South, which are often developing nations.

Chávez passed away on March 5, 2013, while still in office. His Vice President, Nicolás Maduro, took over. Maduro won a close election in April 2013 and has often ruled by decree, meaning he could make laws without the usual approval from the parliament.

Venezuela's Journey: 1970-1992

Hugo Chávez became active in politics during the 1980s and 1990s. This was a tough time for Venezuela, with economic problems and political unrest. Venezuela's economy largely depends on oil, which makes up most of its exports and a big part of the government's income.

The 1970s were good years because oil prices were high. People in Venezuela generally had a better life. The government used oil money to fund social projects without heavily taxing rich people. Workers had good wages and received help with food, health, education, and transport. However, by the end of the 1970s, things started to get worse. Oil income per person and overall income dropped. This led to a foreign debt crisis and the country's money, the bolivar, lost its value in 1983. This negative trend continued into the 1990s. By 1997, the average income per person was less than it was in 1970.

Along with these economic changes, Venezuelan society also changed. The gap between different social classes grew wider. For many Venezuelans, the hope of a comfortable life, which seemed possible in the 1970s, became harder to reach. Poverty and feeling left out became common for a large part of the population.

In 1989, President Pérez faced a big economic crisis. He signed an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to make big economic changes. This agreement was not shared with the parliament until after it was signed. On February 25, 1989, the government announced an increase in gasoline prices. Two days later, public transport prices also went up. This caused the Caracazo, a series of large protests and riots in Caracas and other major cities. Pérez suspended civil rights and declared martial law. The military stopped the rebellion, and the government admitted that 300 people died, though others believe the number was much higher.

Chávez's Rise: 1992 and Beyond

Chávez had been part of a leftist military group called the Movimiento Bolivariano Revolucionario 200 (MBR 200) since the early 1980s. He first became well-known as the leader of a coup attempt against Pérez in February 1992. The coup failed, but before he was imprisoned, Chávez was allowed to speak on national television. He apologized for the lives lost and told his forces to stop fighting. But he also defended his goals for reform and famously said he was putting down his weapons "por ahora" – meaning "for now" – suggesting he might return someday. This short TV appearance made Chávez a national figure.

Pérez survived another coup attempt in November 1992. However, he was later removed from office by Congress in 1993 for misusing government money. Rafael Caldera became president after winning elections in December 1993. As he had promised during his campaign, Caldera pardoned Chávez and other military dissidents in March 1994. Like Pérez, Caldera also adopted IMF programs in 1996 and 1997, which involved opening the state oil industry to private companies.

In the late 1990s, Hugo Chávez and the MBR 200 remained active. In December 1996, MBR 200 members decided to take part in the upcoming 1998 presidential and parliamentary elections. They created a new group called the Fifth Republic Movement (MVR) to bring together groups that opposed the main political parties. Chávez's campaign for president was supported by a group called the Polo Patriótico (Patriotic Pole).

During his 1998 campaign, Chávez made several big promises:

• Oil Industry Changes: He wanted to stop selling off parts of the state oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela. He also wanted to review agreements with foreign oil companies and use oil money to help poorer people more.
• Independent Economy: He aimed for an economic path that was independent of global capitalism, especially from the United States. He called this a "third way," different from "savage neo-liberalism."
• New Constitution: He proposed holding a vote to dissolve Congress and create an elected "constitutional assembly" to write a new constitution.
• Fight Corruption: He promised to fight corruption, which he said was wasting a lot of public money.
• Tax Evasion: He wanted to crack down on major companies and individuals who avoided paying taxes.
• Social Improvements: He promised to raise the minimum wage, provide money for the unemployed, improve job security and retirement benefits, and increase spending on job creation and education.

1999: Economic Challenges and a New Constitution

Many Venezuelans were tired of politics, so the 1998 elections had the lowest voter turnout in the country's history. Chávez won the presidency on December 6, 1998, with 56.4% of the votes.

He officially became president on February 2, 1999. His main goals were to change the constitution, challenge the powerful elite, stop Venezuela's economic decline, give the state a bigger role in the economy, and share wealth with the poor. Chávez spent his first few months mostly on constitutional reform, while also quickly putting more government money into new social programs.

However, Venezuela was hit by an economic recession. Oil prices were very low, and international interest rates were high. This meant the government had little money for Chávez's promised programs. The economy shrank by 10%, and unemployment reached 20%, the highest since the 1980s. Chávez tried to reduce Venezuela's oil production to increase oil prices and, hopefully, total oil earnings. He also encouraged other OPEC countries to cut their production. Because of these actions, Chávez became known as a "price hawk" in the oil industry.

Chávez also wanted to improve Venezuela's tax collection and auditing system, especially for big companies and landowners. He aimed to promote the redistribution of wealth, more government rules, and social spending. Despite these efforts and a tripling of oil prices, money leaving the country (capital flight) more than doubled from $4 billion in 1999 to $9 billion in 2002. This was due to the uncertainty caused by Chávez's controversial actions.

In April 1999, Chávez ordered the military to create programs to fight poverty and help with community development in Venezuela's poor and rural areas. This program was called "Plan Bolivar 2000." It included projects like building roads and houses, and mass vaccinations.

A New Constitution for Venezuela

In April 1999, Venezuelans voted in a national referendum on whether to create an elected assembly to write a new Constitution of Venezuela. 71.8% of voters said yes. So, in July 1999, elections were held to choose delegates for this assembly. Chávez's candidates won 95% of the seats (125 out of 131), even though they only received 52% of the votes. This was due to the voting rules set beforehand.

The assembly, called the Assemblea Nacional Constituyente (ANC), had six months to create a new constitution. The draft would then be put to a vote for the Venezuelan people to approve or reject.

Soon, conflicts arose between the Constitutional Assembly and the existing government bodies it was meant to change. Chávez had said that the new assembly would have power over the existing National Assembly and courts, even being able to dissolve them. However, some opponents argued that the assembly should remain under the existing institutions until the new constitution was approved.

In August 1999, the Constitutional Assembly decided to reorganize the country's courts. It gave itself the power to fire judges, aiming to speed up investigations into corruption among many judges and court staff. The Supreme Court eventually voted that the Assembly was not acting against the constitution, but the chief justice resigned in protest. Over 190 judges were suspended for corruption, and the Supreme Court was later dissolved, with new judges who supported Chávez being appointed.

On August 25, the Constitutional Assembly declared a "legislative emergency," limiting the National Assembly's work. The National Assembly, which had been on break, ended its recess in response. At one point, the Constitutional Assembly even tried to stop the National Assembly from meeting. However, on September 10, the two bodies agreed to "coexist" until the new constitution was in place.

On November 20, 1999, the Constitutional Assembly presented the proposed constitution. It had 350 articles, making it one of the longest in the world. This new constitution aimed to create a participatory democracy, where citizens have more direct involvement, as well as a representative democracy. Key changes included:

• Changing the country's official name from "Republic of Venezuela" to "Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela."
• Increasing the presidential term from five to six years.
• Allowing a president to serve two consecutive terms instead of one.
• Introducing the right for Venezuelan voters to remove the president from office through a recall referendum, if enough signatures are collected.
• Giving the presidency more power, including the ability to dissolve the National Assembly.
• Changing the two-chamber National Assembly into a single-chamber legislature and reducing its powers.
• Creating a new position, the Public Defender, to oversee the actions of the presidency, National Assembly, and the constitution. Chávez called this person the guardian of the "moral branch" of the new government.

On December 15, 1999, after weeks of heavy rain, massive mudslides killed an estimated 30,000 people. Critics claimed Chávez was too focused on the referendum and ignored warnings, but his government denied these claims. Chávez personally led the relief efforts.

2000-2001: Re-election and New Laws

Elections for the new single-chamber National Assembly were held on July 30, 2000. Chávez also ran for re-election at this time. He won with 60% of the votes, and his party also gained a strong two-thirds majority in the National Assembly. The Carter Center, which observed the election, said that despite some issues, the presidential election truly showed the will of the people.

Later, on December 3, 2000, local elections and a referendum were held. The referendum, supported by Chávez, proposed a law that would force Venezuela's labor unions to hold state-monitored elections. International labor organizations criticized this, saying it was too much government interference in union matters.

New Powers for the President

After the elections in 2000, Chávez supported a new law called an enabling act. This act allowed him to rule by decree for one year, meaning he could make laws without the National Assembly's approval. In November 2001, just before this act expired, Chávez used it to put 49 new laws into place. These included a Hydrocarbons Law, which aimed to give the state more control over the oil industry. This law increased taxes on foreign oil companies to 30% and required the state oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA), to have at least 51% ownership in joint projects with private companies.

With large oil incomes in his early years, Chávez started a land transfer program and introduced several changes to improve people's lives. These included lowering infant deaths, creating a free, government-funded healthcare system, and providing free education up to university level. By December 2001, inflation (prices rising) fell to 12.3%, the lowest since 1986, and the economy grew steadily at four percent. Chávez's government also reported that one million more students enrolled in primary schools. He removed registration fees in public schools, which he said allowed 400,000 more students to attend.

The 49 new laws, which were the first major step towards sharing wealth, faced strong opposition. Chávez's close ties with leaders like Fidel Castro of Cuba also hurt his popularity. Some Venezuelans feared that Chávez was trying to make Venezuela like Cuba and that he had dictatorial goals.

Growing Opposition to Chávez

Opposition to Chávez grew when mothers realized that new textbooks in Venezuela were actually Cuban books filled with revolutionary propaganda. By the summer of 2001, opposition groups quickly grew to include labor unions, businesses, church groups, and political parties.

The Venezuelan Federation of Chambers of Commerce (Fedecámaras) and a labor union federation (CTV) called for a general business strike on December 10, 2001, to protest the 49 laws. The strike attracted thousands of people. The president of Fedecámaras, Pedro Carmona Estanga, became a leader of the opposition movement.

After the strike, both the government and the opposition became more stubborn. The opposition warned they would protest again if the 49 laws were not changed, and later demanded the laws be completely removed. The government refused to consider changing them.

2002: A Coup Attempt and a Big Strike

The tension from the December 2001 strike continued into 2002. The opposition formed a group called the Democratic Coordinator (CD) to organize actions against the government. On January 23, the opposition held a huge march, which was met by a counter-march from government supporters.

Economically, Venezuela was struggling. The economy shrank, and the currency lost a lot of its value in early 2002. In December 2002, Chávez faced a two-month strike organized by managers at the national oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA), after he tried to fire 17,000 workers. This strike made the economic crisis worse and cut off the government's crucial oil income.

The CTV, supported by Fedecámaras and other opposition groups, called for a one-day strike on April 9, 2002. This strike was extended indefinitely. They also called for a march to the PDVSA headquarters in Caracas on April 11. On that day, hundreds of thousands of people gathered. The CTV leader, Carlos Ortega, suddenly called for the march to continue to the presidential palace, Miraflores, saying they would "expel a traitor." However, Miraflores was already surrounded by Chávez supporters. When news of the opposition's march spread, thousands more rushed to join the pro-Chávez side. The two groups were about 200 meters apart when shooting began, causing confusion and killing people from both sides.

After the shooting started, a group of military officers appeared on television. They said Chávez had "betrayed the trust of the people" and was "massacring innocent people." They declared they no longer recognized him as president. Chávez tried to use national TV to tell protesters to go home and to block news coverage of the violence.

Lucas Rincón Romero, the head of the Armed Forces, announced that Chávez had resigned. While Chávez was held at a military base, military leaders appointed the president of Fedecámaras, Pedro Carmona, as Venezuela's temporary president. Carmona quickly issued a decree dissolving the parliament and the supreme court, and changing the country's name back to República de Venezuela. He also reversed Chávez's main social and economic policies.

Carmona's decisions led to pro-Chávez uprisings and looting in Caracas. Soldiers loyal to Chávez called for public support for a counter-coup. These soldiers then stormed and retook the presidential palace, and rescued Chávez. The shortest government in Venezuelan history was overthrown, and Chávez returned to the presidency on the night of April 13, 2002.

After the Coup Attempt

After returning to office, Chávez worked to strengthen support for his government. He replaced key generals and tried to make peace by changing some of his cabinet ministers. He also invited international groups to help mediate between the government and the opposition. Chávez also tried to prevent future coup attempts by increasing support programs, jobs, and benefits for soldiers and veterans.

Despite these efforts, conflict continued throughout 2002. There were clashes between government and opposition supporters, and a shootout between police and the National Guard resulted in three deaths.

The Big General Strike

Fedecámaras and the CTV called for another major strike to begin on December 2, 2002. This strike, known as the Venezuelan general strike of 2002–2003, was the most significant. A key part of the strike was the shutdown of oil production at Petróleos de Venezuela, as managers locked workers out and even changed computer passwords to disable equipment. Venezuela had to start importing oil. At home, gasoline became almost impossible to find, with long lines at gas stations. Many private businesses closed or reduced hours, some in support of the strike, others because of fuel shortages and economic problems.

Large pro- and anti-Chávez marches were held. The strike caused severe economic damage. The country's economy shrank by 25% in early 2003. Unemployment reached 20.3% in March 2003. Oil production also dropped significantly.

The strike began to end in February 2003, as small and medium businesses reopened. The government slowly regained control over PDVSA, and oil production returned to normal levels. After the strike, the government fired 18,000 PDVSA employees, which was 40% of the company's workforce.

2003-2004: The Recall Vote

A rally in Caracas

In 2003 and 2004, Chávez launched many social and economic campaigns. This was possible because, for the first time, the economy was doing well, and the oil industry was under his control. Oil makes up 80% of Venezuela's exports and a large part of its economy.

In July 2003, he launched "Mission Robinson," a program to teach reading, writing, and math to over 1.5 million Venezuelan adults who couldn't read or write before his election. On October 12, 2003, Chávez started "Mission Guaicaipuro," a program to protect the lives, religions, lands, cultures, and rights of Venezuela's indigenous peoples. In late 2003, he launched "Mission Sucre," a scholarship program for higher education. By 2005, it was giving about 100,000 grants each year to bright students who couldn't afford university. In November 2003, Chávez announced "Mission Ribas," promising to provide education and diplomas for Venezuela's five million high school dropouts. Chávez stated that in one year, 1,250,000 Venezuelans had learned to read and write through Mission Robinson. However, there were also challenges, like high inflation rates (31% in 2002 and 27% in 2003), which caused hardship for the poor.

In early 2003, a volunteer group called Súmate began collecting signatures to activate the presidential recall provision in Chávez's 1999 Constitution. In August 2003, about 3.2 million signatures were submitted, but the pro-Chávez majority in the National Electoral Council (CNE) rejected them. Reports then emerged that Chávez's government was punishing those who signed the petition. In November 2003, the opposition collected a new set of signatures, gathering 3.6 million names in four days. Riots broke out as Chávez accused the signature collectors of fraud.

The constitution requires signatures from 20% of voters to trigger a recall. The names and identity card numbers of those who signed the petition were not secret and were made public by a member of Chávez's party. The government was accused of increasing the number of registered voters by giving citizenship to immigrants, which effectively raised the number of signatures needed for a recall.

Finally, after the opposition submitted a valid petition with over 2.4 million signatures, a recall referendum was announced for August 8, 2004. Chávez and his allies urged supporters to vote "no" to the recall.

The recall vote was held on August 15, 2004. A record number of voters turned out, and 59% voted "no," defeating the recall attempt. The election was observed by the Carter Center and the Organization of American States, who certified it as fair. Some critics, however, claimed there was fraud.

A happy Chávez promised to work even harder against poverty and "imperialism," and to talk with his opponents. Chávez's government later accused the founders of Súmate of treason for receiving foreign money for voter education from the United States.

2004-2005: Focus on Foreign Relations

After winning the referendum, Chávez sped up his plans for social and economic changes. He put the "Bolivarian Missions" back at the top of his agenda. A sharp rise in global oil prices gave Chávez billions of dollars in extra money. The economy grew significantly, with double-digit growth in 2004 and 9.3% in 2005.

Many new policies were introduced after 2004. In March 2005, the Chávez government passed media rules that made it a crime to insult public officials on TV or radio. Chávez also expanded his land redistribution and social welfare programs by funding many new "Bolivarian Missions." These included "Mission Vuelta al Campo" and the second and third phases of "Mission Barrio Adentro," which aimed to build and improve public healthcare facilities. "Mission Miranda" created a national citizen's militia. Meanwhile, Venezuela's doctors went on strike, protesting that money was being taken from their existing hospitals to fund these new programs, which were often run by Cuban doctors.

Chávez focused a lot on Venezuela's foreign relations in 2004 and 2005, making new agreements and aid projects. He met with many foreign leaders, including those from Argentina, China, Cuba, Iran, and Russia. On March 4, 2005, Chávez publicly declared that the U.S.-backed Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) was "dead." He said that the free-market model had failed to improve the lives of Latin Americans and that an alternative, anti-capitalist model would be created to increase trade between Venezuela, Argentina, and Brazil. Chávez also wanted to create a leftist, Latin American version of NATO.

Chávez embraces Argentinian President Néstor Kirchner during a joint press conference in Venezuela in July 2004.

In 2004 and 2005, the Venezuelan military under Chávez also began to reduce its reliance on weapons and military ties with the United States. Venezuela started buying arms from other countries like Brazil, Russia, China, and Spain. This caused tension, and Chávez ended military cooperation with the U.S. He also asked all active-duty U.S. soldiers to leave Venezuela. In October 2005, Chávez banned the Christian missionary organization "New Tribes Mission" from the country, accusing it of being an "imperialist infiltration." At the same time, he granted land titles to indigenous peoples in the Amazon, protecting their traditional lands. Chávez said these changes showed that his revolution also defended indigenous rights.

During this time, Chávez emphasized different economic development and international trade models, often through large international aid agreements. For example, in August 2005, he announced that Venezuela and Cuba would jointly establish a second medical school. This school would provide free medical training to over 100,000 doctors who would promise to work in the poorest communities of the Global South.

Chávez also used international platforms, like his speech at the 2005 UN World Summit, to criticize free-market development models. He argued that these models caused poverty in developing countries. He also warned of a coming global energy shortage due to oil running out.

2006-2008: Re-election and More Changes

In December 2005, the BBC reported that Chávez wanted to change the constitution so he could run for president again in 2012. He stated his intention to retire from the presidency in 2021. The following year, Chávez sought re-election, and his approval ratings were at 55% in August.

In 2006, Chávez announced Venezuela's bid for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council. The United States encouraged Latin American and Caribbean nations to vote for Guatemala instead. Venezuela was unable to get enough votes, and Panama was chosen as a compromise candidate.

Chávez visited several countries in Latin America, as well as Portugal, Belarus, Russia, Qatar, Syria, Iran, Vietnam, Mali, and Benin. He also visited China and Malaysia. In 2006, Chávez accused the United States government of trying to turn Colombia against Venezuela due to a recent arms dispute.

Chávez won the national election again on December 3, 2006, with 63% of the vote. His closest opponent, Manuel Rosales, accepted his loss. After his victory, Chávez promised to move Venezuela even further towards socialism.

The President of Argentina Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, with Hugo Chávez on March 5, 2008.

On January 8, 2007, President Chávez appointed a new cabinet, replacing most of his ministers. He announced that he would ask the National Assembly for a new enabling act. This act would give him the power to re-nationalize the country's biggest phone company (Cantv) and other electricity companies, which had been privatized by previous governments. He also wanted to remove the autonomy of the Central Bank.

On January 31, 2007, the Venezuelan National Assembly approved an enabling act that gave Chávez the power to rule by decree in certain areas for 18 months. He planned to continue his Bolivarian Revolution, making economic and social changes. He said he wanted to nationalize key parts of the economy. Chávez, starting a new six-year term, said this law would begin a new era of "maximum revolution" to make Venezuela a socialist society. Some critics, however, called it a step towards a leader having too much power.

In February 2007, the Venezuelan government bought an 82.14% share in Electricidad de Caracas from AES Corporation. The government also bought a 28.5% share of CANTV from Verizon Communications.

On April 30, 2007, Chávez announced that Venezuela would formally leave the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. He said Venezuela had paid off its debts five years early, saving money. Chávez then announced the creation of a regional bank, the Bank of the South.

The next day, he announced plans to regain control of oil projects in the Orinoco Belt, which he called "the world's largest crude reserve." These reserves could potentially put Venezuela ahead of Saudi Arabia in terms of oil reserves.

In May 2007, the Chávez government refused to renew the license of the nation's most popular television station, Radio Caracas Televisión (RCTV). The government claimed the company participated in the 2002 coup attempt. This led to many protests in Caracas. However, tens of thousands also marched to support President Chávez's decision.

Speech at the United Nations

On September 20, 2006, Chávez gave a speech to the United Nations General Assembly where he strongly criticized U.S. President George Bush. Chávez called Bush "the devil" and said Bush had come to the General Assembly to "preserve the current pattern of domination, exploitation and pillage of the peoples of the world." While many U.S. politicians and media condemned the speech, it received "wild applause" in the Assembly.

Helping the Poor in the U.S.

In 2005, President Chávez started a program to provide cheaper heating fuel for poor people in several parts of the United States. The program expanded in September 2006 to include parts of New York City, providing millions of gallons of fuel at 40% off the wholesale price. This helped heat many apartments for the winter. Chávez also sent heating oil to poor villages in Alaska. Some people questioned the reasons behind this generosity.

Latin American Summit Incident

In November 2007, at a summit in Chile, Chávez and Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero had a heated argument. Chávez called former Spanish Prime Minister José María Aznar a fascist. Zapatero asked Chávez to be more polite. When Chávez continued to interrupt, King Juan Carlos I of Spain pointed at Chávez and told him, "¿Por qué no te callas?" (Why don't you shut up?). Chávez later said he didn't hear the King. The King then stood up and left, which was a very unusual diplomatic incident.

Constitutional Referendum

On August 15, 2007, Chávez called for an end to presidential term limits, meaning a president could serve indefinitely. He also suggested limiting the central bank's independence, strengthening the state's power to take over private property, and giving the public control over international money reserves. These changes were part of a plan to update Venezuela's constitution and were approved by the National Assembly. The final decision was put to a public vote on December 2, 2007.

On November 1, 2007, a large protest was held in Caracas, led by many Venezuelan students. They asked the National Electoral Council to postpone the vote on the proposed constitutional changes. Supporters of Chávez clashed with the protesters, leading to violence and police action. The President criticized the opposition protest.

On November 26, 2007, the Venezuelan government broadcast an alleged secret memo from the U.S. embassy to the CIA, claiming it showed U.S. secret operations against Chávez's government. Two days before the constitutional referendum, Chávez threatened to stop oil shipments to the U.S. if it criticized the voting results.

The referendum was defeated on December 2, 2007, with 51% of voters rejecting the proposed changes. Chávez stated he would step down at the end of his second term in 2013. However, in November 2008, he proposed another constitutional amendment to remove term limits again. This time, the resolution passed with 54% voting in favor.

From 2009: Term Limits Removed and Challenges

On February 15, 2009, Chávez won a referendum to remove term limits, allowing him to run for re-election as many times as he wanted. However, later polls showed that most Venezuelans did not want him to continue indefinitely. People also became more concerned about crime, the economy, and public services. A former close ally, Raúl Baduel, who helped Chávez return to power in 2002, broke with Chávez after being accused of corruption and called him a tyrant.

A 2010 report by the OAS (Organization of American States) noted Venezuela's "achievements" in ending illiteracy, setting up a basic health network, distributing land, and reducing poverty. It also found "improvements" in economic, social, and cultural rights. However, the report also raised "blistering" concerns about freedom of expression, human rights issues, and the government gaining too much power. It also mentioned "severe economic, infrastructure, and social headaches."

Chávez rejected the 2010 OAS report, calling it "pure garbage," and said Venezuela should boycott the OAS. He denied having any power to influence the courts. A Venezuelan official said the report twisted statistics and that human rights violations in Venezuela had actually decreased.

According to National Public Radio, the report discussed decreasing rights for the government's opposition and detailed how the government controlled the courts. It said elections were free, but the state had increasing control over media and used state resources during election campaigns. It also noted that opposition officials who were elected were sometimes prevented from doing their jobs.

On October 7, 2012, Chávez won his country's presidential election for a third time, defeating Henrique Capriles for another six-year term. However, his victory was short-lived, as Chávez died five months later, on March 5, 2013.

Arms Imports

In 2011, Venezuela became the eighth-largest importer of weapons in the world. As of 2012, Venezuela owed about US$7.2 billion for weapons bought from Russia.

Nicolás Maduro Takes Over

President Maduro officially became President of Venezuela on April 19, 2013, after the election commission promised a full review of the election results.

In October 2013, Maduro asked for an enabling law to rule by decree to fight corruption and what he called an "economic war." On October 24, he also announced a new agency, the Vice Ministry for the Supreme Social Happiness of the Venezuelan People, to coordinate all social programs.

On March 28, 2017, the Venezuelan Supreme Court removed the special protection (immunity) for members of the parliament, most of whom were against Maduro. On March 30, 2017, the Venezuelan Supreme Court took over law-making powers from the National Assembly, but this decision was reversed on April 1, 2017.

The results of the May 2018 Venezuelan presidential election were widely questioned. The opposition-majority National Assembly declared Maduro's presidency illegitimate on the day of his second inauguration. They said his re-election was not valid and declared their president, Juan Guaidó, to be the acting president of the country. The pro-Maduro Supreme Tribunal of Justice said the National Assembly's declaration was unconstitutional. Since January 2019, there has been a presidential crisis in Venezuela.

Images for kids

• 

  Venezuelan soldiers carrying red flags with Chavéz's eyes imprinted as the text reads Chavez vive. La lucha sigue ("Chavéz lives. The struggle continues")

• 

  A rally in Caracas

• 

  Chávez embraces Argentinian President Néstor Kirchner during the closing of a July 2004 joint press conference held in Venezuela (Office of the Argentine Presidency).

• 

  The President of Argentina Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, with Hugo Chávez 5 March 2008.