Venezuela: The Life and Times of the Party System - Political ...

party in more pungent, folkloric terms, noting that “Adeco es adeco hasta que se muere, y es que
los adecos no mueren nunca.”
The following discussion is organized in four major sections. We begin with a review of
the life and times of parties and democratic politics in Venezuela. The origins and character of
parties are considered, with emphasis on how the range of alternatives has shifted over time. We
then take a close look at the evolution of electoral competition, in particular the emergence of a
two-party pattern from 1973 onwards. This is followed by a consideration of changing party ties
with civil society and the state. We show how the parties adapted to long-term social and cultural
change, and consider the nature and prospects of recently enacted state and political reforms.
We close with brief reflections on prospects for the future.
The Life and Times of Politics, Parties, and Democracy
The modern history of Venezuelan politics is well documented; a brief account suffices
here. 1 Venezuela stands out in Latin America for how few traces remain from the colonial period
and the nineteenth century to shape the modern scene. The long struggle for independence from
Spain began a series of armed conflicts and civil wars that together wrecked the basis of colonial
wealth and destroyed what little of a local aristocracy Venezuela had. Administrative decay and
regional fragmentation were other consequences, making the central state mostly nominal
throughout the nineteenth century and political parties little more than armed bands, often with
marked regional bases and loyalties.
This heritage of conflict had several other noteworthy consequences. Traditional ties
were undermined throughout rural Venezuela and major population movements began that have
continued in accelerated ways ever since. Every modern census shows a high proportion of
Venezuelans living outside of their state of birth. Migration initially flowed to the Andean region,
which presented a safe haven from the warfare endemic in the central and plains regions. The
growth of Andean states also reflected the emergence of the region’s coffee export economy,
which got under way on a major scale from the mid-nineteenth century on. 2
The concentration of population, wealth, and power in the Andes is important here
because at the turn of the century, Venezuela was conquered by an armed political movement
from that region. Juan Vicente Gomez, originally second in command, soon took power which he
held in an iron grip until his death in late 1935. Gomez was fortunate enough to be in office when
the petroleum industry came to Venezuela and skillfully used the money and contacts it provided
1 This section draws freely on the following sources: Levine (1973 and 1989); Powell (1971);
Ellner (1980); Bergquist (1986); Peattie (1968); Bond (1977); Penniman (1980); Karl (1987); and
Naim and Piñango (1985).
2 On change in the Andean region, see Roseberry (1983) or Margolies (1979).