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Venezuela (National Constituent Assembly)
| COUNTRY |
ELECTION TYPE |
DATE |
| Republic of Venezuela |
National Constituent Assembly |
July 25, 1999 |
At stake
in this election:
- Members of the Asamblea Nacional
Constituyente: 131
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Description
of government structure:
- Chief of State and Head of
Government: President Hugo Rafael CHÁVEZ Frias
- Legislature: Venezuela's bicameral
legislature, the Congreso de la República, is composed of the Senate (Senado)
and the Chamber of Deputies (Cámara de Diputados).
- Senate: The Senate consists of 50
members. Forty-eight senators are directly elected by proportional representation for
five-year terms. The remaining two senators are former presidents of the Republic and
serve for life-long terms.
- Chamber of Deputies: The Chamber of
Deputies consists of 218 members directly elected by a mixed system of proportional
representation and simple majority vote. All members of the Chamber of Deputies are
elected for five-year terms.
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Description
of electoral system:
- The National Constituent Assembly is
charged with drafting a new constitution for the Republic of Venezuela.
- The Assembly will have six months to
draft a new constitution. The body will be dissolved after the new constitution is
drafted.
- The unicameral Assembly will be
comprised of 131 members directly elected by simple majority vote.
- The Assembly will be made up of 104
regional members, 24 national members, and 3 indigenous members.
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Population
and number of registered voters:
- Population: 23,410,158 (November 1998)
- Number of registered voters: 11,022,031
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Of Interest:
- On April 25, 1999, with approximately 38%
of the electorate participating, Venezuelans voted by a margin of 87.9% in favor and 7.6%
opposed to establish the National Constitutional Assembly.
- Elected to office in December 1998, President
CHAVEZ has been a strong proponent for calling the Assembly.
- A total of 1170 candidates have
officially registered with the National Electoral Council (CNE) to run for the Assembly's
131 seats.
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| SOURCE: INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR ELECTION SYSTEMS (IFES) |
| For additional information:
IFES ElectionGuide Online |
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