State Reforms that Opened the Door
Maya, Margarita López
The rise of Causa R was greatly facilitated by the process of state reform initiated in 1984 with the formation of the Presidential Commission for the Reform of the State (COPRE). The...
...In May, 1986, COPRE released its first document, entitled "Proposals for Immediate Political Reforms...
...These changes opened up the state and the political system...
...Some of these proposals stirred up strong opposition from then-President Jaime Lusinchi and his AD party...
...Beginning with a few proposals for the democratization of the political parties, and modifications of the existing forms of suffrage, it proposed the re-imposi- tion of constitutional rule, suspended since 1961, which would require the direct election of state governors...
...The COPRE-generated reforms were an institutional response to the country's critical economic conditions and consequent political turmoil...
...The debate over reforms began in 1986 when Causa R was one of the many microscopic groups on the Left...
...COPRE proposed establishing a division of powers within this unit, and creating the position of mayor, elected by universal, secret and direct vote...
...reform of the existing electoral system so that members of the state legislative assemblies and municipal councils would be chosen by their communities and not by party committees...
...In the same document, the commission signaled the need to rescue the "municipality"a unit of self- government smaller than, and typically within Venezuela's larger citiesas the country's "primary and autonomous political unit...
...These included strengthening the state and municipal levels with their own powers of political decision-making...
...In that sense, its position on reform was irrelevant, though surely, as part of the opposition, the group would have been in favor of it...
...From this point of departure, COPRE projected complementary reforms...
...In contrast, some proposals obtained a lot of support from the parties of the opposition, and especially from a number of non-party popular organizations which saw the possibility of finding space for their political expres- sion and activity...
...And in the 1970s, before this whole process began, the Causa Raffiliated neighborhood movement Pro Catia was a pioneer in the struggle for reforms at the municipal level, collecting 24,000 signatures in a petition to institute a representative city council...
...and reforms in the administration of federal entities that would create true civil-service careers and decentralize many administrative powers...
...Just before Carlos Andres Perez assumed the presidency in 1989, many of the reforms recommended by COPRE were implemented...
...COPRE has proposed the decentralization of power as an essential aspect of progressive, rational and growing democratization...
...The traditional leadership of the party feared the reforms would jeopardize their positions of power...
...the direct election of governors and mayors...
...To finance these reforms, COPRE did not advocate raising fiscal funds at the state level, but rather redistributing available resources...
...Causa R took full advantage of this opening...
Vol. 27 • March 1994 • No. 5
