Primary Elections
The Movement for a Fifth Republic (MVR), former Venezuela’s governing party, was the first political party in Venezuela to incorporate primary elections as the primary method for selecting its candidates.
Led by President Hugo Chávez, but involving organizations and movements that are broader than the MVR, the question of how to select MVR candidates has been controversial. Until the implementation of this primary mechanism, candidates tended to be hand-picked by the leadership of the parties. The result has been that a number of those elected on MVR platforms were distrusted by the masses, and in some cases have proved disloyal.
The issue came to a head in the lead-up to the regional elections of October 2005. Despite opposition from within the grassroots movements, a candidate list was drawn up by the leadership of various MVR allied parties. The decision not to hold primaries was justified by the claim that there wasn't time. After the elections, Chavez stated that in the future, primaries would be held to empower the rank and file to select candidates.
Provisions introduced into the constitution and adopted by referendum in 1999 already mean that elected officials can have their mandate revoked half-way through their term if 20% of their electors sign a petition requesting a fresh election.
A total of 2.4 million people voted in the MVR primaries. More than 5200 candidates were pre-selected to compete for the 5618 positions up for grabs in the August elections. The remaining 418 positions will go to other pro-Chavez parties. However, other pro-Chavez groups have publicly criticized the MVR for taking these positions.
Read more about this topic: Fifth Republic Movement
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