Popova L.L. Venezuela of Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro: problem of transformation of the political regime

Abstract: The subject of this research is the evolution of the Republic of Venezuela political regime over the period of 1998-2015. The author examines the main stages of evolution of the political regime, analyzes the constitutional changes in the country, as well as presents a comparative analysis of the political regimes of Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro. As the criteria for comparison, the author uses such characteristic of the regime as the relationship between the government and opposition, as well as mechanisms of legitimization of the regime. Special attention is given to the problem of classification of the regime and nuances of the electoral authoritarianism in Venezuela. The author makes a conclusion on domination of the authoritarian trends in evolution of the political regime of Venezuela. During the presidency of N. Maduro, we can observe the shift in the balance of powers with regards to the government and opposition, which results in the growing conflicts in society, re-orientation of the authorities towards the use of force for ensuring stability. The scientific novelty consists in the comprehensive analysis of the stages and factors of evolution of the political regime of Venezuela, as well as determination of specificity N[WU1] . Maduro’s political regime in the country.  [WU1]

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