Chavismo

Chavismo (the most literal translation being "Chavism") is the name given to the left-wing political ideology based on the ideas, programs and government style associated with the late president of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez.^[1] Chavista is a term to describe strong supporters of Chavez, which is closely associated with support for Chavismo.^[2]

Policies

Several political parties in Venezuela support chavismo. The main party, directly affiliated with Chávez, is the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (Spanish: Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela, usually referred to by the four letters, PSUV). Other parties and movements supporting chavismo include Homeland for All (Spanish: Patria Para Todos or PPT), and Tupamaros.^{[citation needed]}

Broadly, chavismo policies include nationalization, social welfare programs, and opposition to neoliberalism (particularly the policies of the IMF and the World Bank). According to Hugo Chávez, Venezuelan socialism accept private property,^[3] but this socialism seeks to promote social property too.^[4] Chavismo also support participatory democracy^[5] and workplace democracy.^[6] In January 2007, Chávez proposed to build the communal state, whose main idea is to build self-government institutions like communal councils, communes, and communal cities.^[7] Chavismo is defined itself as a patriotic,^[8] anti-imperialist^[9] and Bolivarian movement^[10] which fights for the Latin American and Caribbean unity.^[11]

Commentary

In The Weekly Standard, Thor Halvorssen Mendoza described the core of Chavismo as a "far-reaching foreign policy that aims to establish a loosely aligned federation of revolutionary republics as a resistance bloc in the Americas".^[12]

Noam Chomsky has expressed a certain degree of support for Chavez and his policies, saying that he is "quite interested" by his policies and that he regards "many of them" as "quite constructive". He notes that most importantly, Chavez seems to enjoy overwhelming support from his people after "six closely supervised elections".^[13]

According to an article in the New York Sun, Chavezism was rejected in recent elections in Peru, Colombia, and Mexico,^[14] and El Universal reports that former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva distanced himself from Chavezism, saying that Brazil is not Venezuela, and has traditional institutions.^[15]

"Chavismo is not an adequate description of the social movement that makes up Chávez's political base, since many organizations predate his rise to political power, and their leaders and cadre have a sophisticated understanding of their relationship with Chávez. Over the last couple of years, a number of social scientists have done field work in urban barrios, and their findings confirm that this synergy between the central government and participatory local organizations has expanded, not restricted, debate and that democracy is thriving in Venezuela.

Chavismo has ripped open the straitjacket of post-cold war Latin American discourse, particularly the taboo against government regulation of the economy and economic redistribution. Public policy, including economic policy, is now open to discussion and, importantly, popular influence. This is in sharp contrast to Costa Rica, where a few months ago its Supreme Court, with the support of its executive branch, prohibited public universities from not just opposing but even debating the Central American Free Trade Agreement, which soon won a national referendum by a razor-thin margin."^[16]

See also

• List of political parties in Venezuela
• Solidarity economy
• Bolivarianism

References

Bibliography

• Ramirez, C.V. (2005), "Venezuela's Bolivarian revolution: Who are the Chavistas?", Latin American Perspectives, 32(3), pp79-97

v t e Hugo Chávez 52nd President of Venezuela (1999-2013) Early life and career Early life Military career Coup attempt of 1992 Presidential election of 1998 Death and state funeral Presidency Cabinet 1999 Constitution Presidential election of 2000 Presidential election of 2006 Presidential election of 2012 United Socialist Party of Venezuela Constitutional referendum of 2007 Constitutional referendum of 2009 Political events Coup attempt of 2002 Venezuelan general strike of 2002–2003 Recall referendum of 2004 Venezuelan parliamentary election, 2005 Domestic policy Economic policy Bolivarian Revolution Bolivarianism Chavismo Plan Bolívar 2000 Bolivarian Circles Bolivarian Missions Bolivarian propaganda Venezuelan Communal Councils Boliburguesía Foreign policy Bank of the South Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas Petrocaribe Image Media representation of Hugo Chávez Aló Presidente The Revolution Will Not Be Televised X-Ray of a Lie teleSUR ¿¡Revolución!? ¿Por qué no te callas? Venezuelanalysis.com Venezuela Information Office