The state of the institutions

IS THE EXECUTIVE RULING UNDER A MILITARY STYLE?

1. The President Chávez Frías has a military background, which can be observed in his speeches and in his government style. There are multiple occasions in which he appears dressed up with the military uniform, notwithstanding that according to the Law, he is permitted to wear it only at determined protocol acts. On April 14 th , 2002, after his return to the Presidency of the Republic, he raised this topic as one of the points of his speech, in which he promised not to wear the military uniform ever again.

2. The occasional use of the military uniform, the constant allusions to the military life and the use of military examples for electoral campaigns, are not the only areas in which the military character of the regime is showed. Even more significant is the amount of militaries, in service or retired, exercising high public positions in the Government .

3. The Government of President Chávez Frías is, at the present moment, negotiating the purchase of weapons -one hundred thousand "AK-103" attack rifles- with Russia, as well as armament with Spain. Besides the not so real prejudice that this could recall an armaments race in the region, the destiny that could be given to the disused weapons is a worry to the analysts, as well as the possibility that these weapons could reach the hands of guerrilla groups in the region or of some violent fellows of the régime.

4. In the presence of a suspected thread of an invasion by the United States or of an external aggression, the President of the Republic has promoted a modification in the Regulations of the National Army Law, in order to establish a contingent of two million "reservists" -beginning from a number not yet determined- which depends on the Presidency and which is out of the control of the National Army.

5. On April 13 th , 2005, declared as the "Day of the military reserve, the national mobilization and the civil-military union", President Chávez Frías, wearing his military uniform and with his parachutist beret, activated the reserve command at the Honor Patio of the Military Academy, denominated "Sovereignty or Death". This command is conformed by a starting contingent of 20 thousand reservists, equal to approximately one third of the National Army. Such command is under the orders of General Quintero Viloria, who declared as ". stateless or ignorant persons, or well-meaning people who are not yet acquainted with reality" those who have criticized the creation of such reserves directly depending on the Presidency and which are not under the authority of the National Army.

6. On recent date and within the context of a "possible invasion by the United States", the Executive has been promoting the concept of "asymmetric war" or fourth generation war. To that effect, the First Military Forum on Fourth Generation War and Asymmetric Conflict took place at "Fuerte Tiuna" Military Academy, organized by the National Army General Command (date). In that Forum, this topic was raised as the new philosophy or strategy of the National Army. The possible external aggression was constantly used as one of the reasons behind the purchase of weapons and the increase of reservists. President Chávez Frías stated in his speech, that some characteristics of the concept of asymmetric war are: ".the application of non conventional tactics, such as guerrillas war and terrorism, with the purpose of debilitating the adversary". ("El Nacional", April 9 th , 2005, page A-3).

7. As for the Legislature, it has discussed and approved an amendment to the National Army Organic Law, which is only waiting for the approval in plenary meeting, such law being modified in several articles affecting the topic of the "reserves" and which have caused great controversy.

8. Once declared the road of the bolivarian revolution as socialist, President Chávez Frías has been promoting this idea in all and every interventions and speeches and has exhorted this idea to be discussed in military quarters: "This topic shall be brought to the military quarters, without fear, because there we were brainwashed, the capitalist model and the terror of socialism were sold to us". ("El Nacional", May 23 rd , 2005).