Maduro to rule Venezuela by decree

[Sheilbh]

Maduro gets power to rule by decree
Venezuela's National Assembly grants president sweeping powers as he targets businesses he blames for economic woes
theguardian.com, Wednesday 20 November 2013 01.39 GMT

The Venezuelan congress has granted President Nicolas Maduro emergency decree powers that will strengthen his hand as he goes after businesses the government accuses of sabotaging the economy.

The National Assembly's vote had been widely expected since Maduro requested a month ago to be given expanded power to enact laws without consulting congress for up to a year.

The same tactic was employed four times by Maduro's mentor and predecessor, the late Hugo Chávez, to promulgate dozens of laws that dramatically boosted state control over the economy.

Unlike the charismatic Cházvez, who had near-absolute command over his party, doubts about Maduro's leadership have risen since he defeated opposition leader Henrique Capriles by a razor-thin margin in April's presidential election and as worsening shortages of basic goods and galloping inflation, now at 54%, have eroded popular support for his rule.

Maduro in recent days has ordered the military to seize dozens of appliance stores, slash prices on imported electronics and arrest more than 100 business owners for alleged price gouging.

On Tuesday the Venezuelan unit of General Motors was fined the equivalent of US$85,000 for allegedly overcharging and practicing "usury" in the sale of car parts to local concessionaires. The government also asked Twitter to take down accounts of users posting the illegal black market exchange rate for Venezuela's bolivar currency, which is trading at about one-tenth of the official value.

Such measures have rallied Maduro's working-class base and even won approval from some government opponents who have joined the long lines snaking outside appliance stores nationwide for the last 10 days in search of deep discounts on TV sets and refrigerators.

A key question is whether Maduro will maintain the radical stance after next month's mayoral elections, which the opposition is trying to frame as a referendum on his rule, or adopt a more pragmatic tack in an effort to stabilise the economy.

After Tuesday's vote the National Assembly president, Diosdado Cabello, led a march of more than 2,000 red-shirted supporters from the legislature to the presidential palace to deliver the text of the decree law to Maduro.

Addressing a crowd smaller than the ones Chávez was accustomed to drawing, Maduro reiterated a pledge to use his expanded powers to keep prices low across industries and limit profit margins to 30%. He also vowed to start 2014 with a frontal attack on corruption.

"They underestimated me; they said Maduro was an amateur," he told the crowd. But "what you've seen is little compared to what we're going to do".

The legislative process leading up to Tuesday's vote was marred by controversy after an opposition congresswoman was stripped of her immunity from prosecution over corruption charges, allowing for her substitution by a pro-government lawmaker who gave Maduro the crucial 99th vote needed to prevail.

Capriles lambasted the manoeuvre as a naked power grab and vowed on Tuesday to retaliate with a strong performance for opposition candidates in the 8 December municipal elections.

"I'll give it to you really straight so it registers," Capriles warned Maduro in a message on Twitter. After the December elections "we're going for you and your disastrous government, constitution in hand".

I'm sure this'll end well.

A part of me can't wait for Seamus Milne's piece justifying this.

[jimmy olsen]

Spiraling down towards straight up Stalinism.

[DGuller]

Hmm, arresting opposition members of legislature to push through the rule by decree?  Can this work to break the gridlock in Washington DC? 

[derspiess]

The only thing worse than a community organizer president is a bus driver president.

Anyway, the more shit like this he pulls, the better.  Might as well get the civil war started over there.  The sooner it starts, the sooner it will end.

[garbon]

The only thing worse than a community organizer president is a bus driver president.

If only they had gotten Capriles. Nothing bad with having a leader with claims to being attractive.

[derspiess]

The only thing worse than a community organizer president is a bus driver president.

If only they had gotten Capriles. Nothing bad with having a leader with claims to being attractive.

Capriles is the spitting image of a Puerto Rican friend of mine.

[Razgovory]

The only thing worse than a community organizer president is a bus driver president.

Anyway, the more shit like this he pulls, the better.  Might as well get the civil war started over there.  The sooner it starts, the sooner it will end.

Indeed, much better to have someone who's job was painting post cards become leader of the country.

[Grey Fox]

Viva la revolution!

[Darth Wagtaros]

The only thing worse than a community organizer president is a bus driver president.

If only they had gotten Capriles. Nothing bad with having a leader with claims to being attractive.

Capriles is the spitting image of a Puerto Rican friend of mine.

Shame.  Be useful to have a body double.  Prisoner of Zenda thing.

[The Brain]

I do decree, Socialism works!

[Darth Wagtaros]

Arrest/shoot enough people who aren't happy with the government and you'll win 100% of the vote all the time.

[DGuller]

Arrest/shoot enough people who aren't happy with the government and you'll win 100% of the vote all the time.

You don't even have to shoot the people who aren't happy with the government, you just have to shoot the people who aren't counting the votes properly.

[mongers]

Maybe the OP is what America might look like in 50 years time, if the ever growing income/wealth inequality is allowed to spiral on?

Eventually the people will elect a genuine left wing populist, unlike Obama and the then right-wing republicans will have a real reason to squeal like fatted pigs ?

[Admiral Yi]

Elizabeth Warren will be dead in 50 years.  Let's see what Blasio does in New York.

[Valmy]

Elizabeth Warren will be dead in 50 years.  Let's see what Blasio does in New York.

I have a feeling in 50 years there might be some new politicians around.

Anyway right wing populism is just as likely a response to bad times.