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| 2017 Venezuelan Constituent Assembly election | |
|---|---|
| Name | 2017 Venezuelan Constituent Assembly election |
| Country | Venezuela |
| Type | Constitutional |
| Election date | 30 July 2017 |
| Seats for election | 545 seats |
| Turnout | disputed |
2017 Venezuelan Constituent Assembly election
The 2017 Venezuelan Constituent Assembly election was held on 30 July 2017 to select delegates to a body charged with drafting a new constitution. The vote was organized by the National Electoral Council and called by President Nicolás Maduro following months of protests involving opposition parties such as Democratic Unity Roundtable and activists aligned with figures like Leopoldo López and María Corina Machado. The process provoked domestic clashes involving institutions including the Supreme Tribunal of Justice and international actors such as the Organization of American States and the European Union.
Tensions intensified after the 2015 legislative victory of the Democratic Unity Roundtable over the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela led by Nicolás Maduro. Constitutional crises escalated in 2016–2017 when the Supreme Tribunal of Justice nullified certain powers of the National Assembly, provoking mass demonstrations termed the 2017 Venezuelan protests involving protesters and state security forces like the Bolivarian National Police and National Guard. Maduro proposed convening a constituent assembly citing precedents including the 1999 Constituent Assembly and invoking the legacy of Hugo Chávez. The proposal was contested by opposition groups, jurists, and civil society organizations such as Foro Penal and the Venezuelan Electoral Observatory.
The constituent assembly was organized under a decree issued by President Nicolás Maduro and implemented by the National Electoral Council, bypassing a prior referendum that opposition leaders sought. The body was to have 545 delegates apportioned by mixed criteria: 364 delegates by municipal and sectoral representation and 181 delegates by sectoral quotas including workers, pensioners, indigenous peoples, and students. Indigenous representation invoked frameworks similar to protections in the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention but applied domestically via institutions like the National Indigenous Council. The legal basis was challenged before the International Criminal Court and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, while domestic petitions were filed with the Supreme Tribunal of Justice and lower tribunals.
The ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela and allied parties including Patria Para Todos and Communist Party of Venezuela ran a coordinated campaign promoting a "peaceful" constituent process with endorsements from regional allies like Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America sympathizers. The opposition, including the Democratic Unity Roundtable and parties such as Justice First and A New Era, largely boycotted the vote and organized parallel mobilizations. Prominent individuals featured on ballots or in supporters' lists included Nicolás Maduro, former officials like Delcy Rodríguez, and social leaders from organizations such as the United Socialist Party of Venezuela youth wing. International political figures and organizations, for example Pope Francis indirectly and diplomats from countries such as United States and Canada, commented on candidacies and the boycott strategy.
On 30 July 2017 voting occurred amid heavy security deployments by agencies like the Bolivarian National Guard and reports of clashes with protesters aligned with leaders such as Leopoldo López. The National Electoral Council reported procedures involving automated voting machines and updated voter rolls while observers from bodies including the Organization of American States were either disinvited or declined accreditation. Media outlets including Telesur, Globovisión, and international networks covered incidents of disruptions, allegations of coercion, and irregularities. Human rights groups such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International documented arrests and crowd control measures around polling centers.
The National Electoral Council announced a sweeping victory for pro-government candidates, with the new constituent assembly dominated by members of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela and allied sectors including trade unionists and communal leaders. The official tally and turnout figures were disputed by opposition organizations including the Democratic Unity Roundtable and monitoring groups like the Venezuelan Electoral Observatory, which cited inconsistencies in voting totals and parallel counts. The assembly's composition included sectoral delegates representing workers, pensioners, and indigenous communities, alongside municipal delegates linked to pro-government communal councils and institutions such as the Mission Barrio Adentro networks.
Domestic reactions were polarized: supporters including Nicolás Maduro and allied governors celebrated the mandate as a path to stability, while opponents including Henrique Capriles and María Corina Machado denounced it as a power grab undermining the National Assembly and democratic norms. International responses featured condemnation and sanctions from governments like the United States, Canada, and members of the European Union, alongside supportive statements from allies including Cuba and Bolivia. Multilateral institutions including the Organization of American States criticized the process and called for dialogue; the Group of Lima issued statements coordinating regional responses.
The constituent assembly assumed authority that effectively superseded the National Assembly on certain matters, approving measures affecting institutions such as the Supreme Tribunal of Justice and security forces. Its actions influenced subsequent domestic policy, the handling of opposition leaders including Leopoldo López and Henrique Capriles, and international sanctions regimes by actors such as the United States Department of the Treasury and the European Council. The assembly's tenure reshaped Venezuela's political landscape, affecting negotiations mediated by parties like Norway and regional actors such as the UNASUR member states, and contributed to the dynamics of the continuing Venezuelan crisis involving humanitarian, economic, and migration consequences monitored by organizations like the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Pan American Health Organization.
Category:Elections in Venezuela