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Democracy and Human Rights Policies / Policy Brief

Chavez's new laws demand an International response

28/10/2009 By Susanne Gratius

AFP/Getty Images

Without any international response, a transition from democracy to authoritarianism is taking place in Venezuela. Against this background, the next parliamentary elections will be held in 2010.

To shift the balance definitively towards his political camp, Chávez is designing new laws to weaken his 'enemies'. Given that the incipient civil society depends on external funds, the international community should increase funding to Venezuela. Furthermore, donors should adopt a clearer position on the violation of human and political rights.

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Keywords

Civil society Democratic control Latin America & Caribbean Political Reform Venezuela

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Bio author: Susanne Gratius

Susanne Gratius holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Hamburg. Prior to joining FRIDE, she worked as a Researcher at the Department of the Americas at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) in Berlin and at the Iberoamerican Studies Institute (IIK) in Hamburg. Until 1999, she was Coordinator at the European-Latin American Relations Institute (IRELA) in Madrid.