Venezuela - Government
Based on the etymolgy of Venezuela, it was native stilt-houses built on Lake Maracaibo reminded early explorers Alonso de OJEDA and Amerigo VESPUCCI in 1499 of buildings in Venice and so they named the region "Venezuola," which in Italian means "Little Venice". The Government system in this country is the federal presidential republic type and the different Administrative divisions includes: 23 states (estados, singular - estado), 1 capital district* (distrito capital), and 1 federal dependency** (dependencia federal); Amazonas, Anzoategui, Apure, Aragua, Barinas, Bolivar, Carabobo, Cojedes, Delta Amacuro, Dependencias Federales (Federal Dependencies)**, Distrito Capital (Capital District)*, Falcon, Guarico, La Guaira, Lara, Merida, Miranda, Monagas, Nueva Esparta, Portuguesa, Sucre, Tachira, Trujillo, Yaracuy, Zulia
National symbols
Troupial (bird); national colors: yellow, blue, red.
The flag
The National flag of Venezuela has three equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), blue, and red with the coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band and an arc of eight white five-pointed stars centered in the blue band; the flag retains the three equal horizontal bands and three main colors of the banner of Gran Colombia, the South American republic that broke up in 1830; yellow is interpreted as standing for the riches of the land, blue for the courage of its people, and red for the blood shed in attaining independence; the seven stars on the original flag represented the seven provinces in Venezuela that united in the war of independence; in 2006, then President Hugo CHAVEZ ordered an eighth star added to the star arc - a decision that sparked much controversy - to conform with the flag proclaimed by Simon Bolivar in 1827 and to represent the historic province of Guayana.
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The National Anthem
| Title | "Gloria al bravo pueblo" (Glory to the Brave People) |
|---|---|
| Lyric/music | Vicente SALIAS/Juan Jose LANDAETA |
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note: adopted 1881; lyrics written in 1810, the music some years later; both SALIAS and LANDAETA were executed in 1814 during Venezuela's struggle for independence
More about the government of Venezuela
| Date of Independence | 5 July 1811 (from Spain) |
|---|---|
| National holiday | Independence Day, 5 July (1811) |
| Legal system | civil law system based on the Spanish civil code |
| International law organization participation | has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
| Constitution | |
| History | Many previous; latest adopted 15 December 1999, effective 30 December 1999 |
| Amendments | Proposed through agreement by at least 39% of the National Assembly membership, by the president of the republic in session with the cabinet of ministers, or by petition of at least 15% of registered voters; passage requires simple majority vote by the Assembly and simple majority approval in a referendum; amended 2009; note - in 2016, President MADURO issued a decree to hold an election to form a constituent assembly to change the constitution; the election in July 2017 approved the formation of a 545-member constituent assembly and elected its delegates, empowering them to change the constitution and dismiss government institutions and officials |
| Citizenship | |
| Citizenship by birth | yes |
| Citizenship by descent only | yes |
| Dual citizenship recognized | yes |
| Residency requirement for naturalization | 10 years; reduced to five years in the case of applicants from Spain, Portugal, Italy, or a Latin American or Caribbean country |
| Executive Branch | |
| Chief of state | Notification Statement: the United States does not recognize Nicolas MADURO Moros as president of Venezuela President Nicolas MADURO Moros (since 19 April 2013) |
| Head of government | President Nicolas MADURO Moros (since 19 April 2013) |
| Cabinet | Council of Ministers appointed by the president |
| Elections/appointments | president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 6-year term (no term limits); election last held on 28 July 2024 (next to be held in 2030) |
| Election results | 2024: official results disputed; Nicolas MADURO Moros was declared the winner by the MADURO-controlled National Electoral Council; percent of vote - Nicolas MADURO Moros (PSUV) 52%, Edmundo GONZÁLEZ Urrutia (Independent) 43.2%, Luis Eduardo MARTÍNEZ (AD) 1.2%, other 3.6%; note – given overwhelming evidence, including more than 80% of the tally sheets received directly from polling stations throughout Venezuela indicating that GONZÁLEZ received the most votes by an insurmountable margin, the United States recognizes that GONZÁLEZ won the most votes in the 28 July 2024 presidential election 2018: Nicolas MADURO Moros reelected president; percent of vote - Nicolas MADURO Moros (PSUV) 67.9%, Henri FALCON (AP) 20.9%, Javier BERTUCCI 10.8%; note - the election was reportedly marred by serious shortcomings and electoral fraud 2013: Nicolas MADURO Moros elected president; percent of vote - Nicolas MADURO Moros (PSUV) 50.6%, Henrique CAPRILES Radonski (PJ) 49.1%, other 0.3% |
| Legislative branch | |
| Description | Unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (277 seats; 3 seats reserved for indigenous peoples of Venezuela; members serve 5-year terms) |
| Elections | Last held on 6 December 2020 (next expected to be held in December 2025) |
| Election results | Percent of vote by party - GPP (pro-government) 69.3%, Democratic Alliance (opposition coalition) 17.7%, other 13%; seats by party - GPP 253, Democratic Alliance 18, indigenous peoples 3, other 3; composition - NA |
| Judicial branch | |
| Highest court(s) | Supreme Tribunal of Justice (consists of 32 judges organized into constitutional, political-administrative, electoral, civil appeals, criminal appeals, and social divisions) |
| Judge selection and term of office | Judges proposed by the Committee of Judicial Postulation (an independent body of organizations dealing with legal issues and of the organs of citizen power) and appointed by the National Assembly; judges serve nonrenewable 12-year terms; note - in July 2017, the National Assembly named 33 judges to the court to replace a series of judges, it argued, had been illegally appointed in late 2015 by the outgoing, socialist-party-led Assembly; MADURO and the Socialist Party-appointed judges refused to recognize these appointments, however, and many of the new judges have since been imprisoned or forced into exile |
| Subordinate courts | Superior or Appeals Courts (Tribunales Superiores); District Tribunals (Tribunales de Distrito); Courts of First Instance (Tribunales de Primera Instancia); Parish Courts (Tribunales de Parroquia); Justices of the Peace (Justicia de Paz) Network |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | |
| Chief of mission | Ambassador (vacant); as of 19 May 2023, Francisco L. PALMIERI serves as the chief of mission of the Venezuela Affairs Unit, located in the US Embassy, Bogota |
| Embassy | Venezuela Affairs Unit, US Embassy, Carrera 45 N. 24B-27, Bogota, Colombia previously - F St. and Suapure St.; Urb. Colinas de Valle Arriba; Caracas 1080 |
| Mailing address | 3140 Caracas Place, Washington DC 20521-3140 |
| Telephone | 1-888-407-4747 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] https://ve.usembassy.gov/ |
| National heritage | |
| Total World Heritage Sites | 3 (2 cultural, 1 natural) |
| Selected World Heritage Site locales | Coro and its Port (c); Canaima National Park (n); Ciudad Universitaria de Caracas (c) |
Key Political parties and their leaders in Venezuela
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International organization participation
All Important Facts about Venezuela
Want to know more about Venezuela? Check all different factbooks for Venezuela below.
