THE MILITARIZATION OF THE CHAVISTA REGIME IN VENEZUELA: AN OBSTACLE FOR DEMOCRATIC TRANSITION AND THE PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS

With arrival of Hugo Chávez to the Government in 1998, democracy suffered big changes in Venezuela. He drafted a new constitution which set the new basis for what he called a "participatory and popular-based" democracy. However, this Bolivarian idea of democracy will start fading with legal reforms and political shifts. Consequently, the people started losing power and the liberal democratic system was dismantled. In this context, Venezuelans cannot enjoy their most basic human rights, and their fundamental freedoms are violated constantly. The erosion of the constitutional order was achieved thanks to the support of the Armed Forces, which Hugo Chávez used to sustain himself in power for more than a decade. Understanding the militarization of the Chavista regime is key to analyze why a democratic transition has yet not been achieved and why human rights are not protected for Venezuelans.