Venezuela — Chávez administration (1999–2013)
Venezuela
Basis for the estimate: Bolivarian socialism, oil nationalization, new constitution, erosion of checks.
Official system and how it worked in practice
| Official system | Federal presidential republic |
|---|---|
| In practice, 1999–2001 | Electoral democracy free and fair multiparty elections and basic freedoms |
| In practice, 2002–2013 | Electoral autocracy multiparty elections, but without sufficient freedom, fairness or protection of basic freedoms |
“In practice” is V-Dem’s Regimes of the World classification for Venezuela, 1999–2013, from expert-coded data (V-Dem Regimes of the World (v2x_regime), V-Dem dataset v16, March 2026). V-Dem codes each country as it stood at the end of each year, so the first and last years can reflect the previous or next government. The official system is the constitutional form during the period.
Political placement
| Map dimension | Score (0–100) | Position | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Collective / planned ↔ Market | 13 | strongly toward collective / planned | |
| Social Progressive ↔ Traditional | 48 | near the center | |
| Authority Libertarian ↔ Authoritarian | 75 | toward authoritarian | |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 86 | strongly toward nationalist | |
| Foreign policy Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 55 | near the center |
All nine underlying dimensions
| Dimension | Score | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Economic ownership Collective ownership ↔ Private ownership | 14 | strongly toward collective ownership |
| Civil liberties Civil liberty ↔ State restrictions | 71 | toward state restrictions |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 86 | strongly toward nationalist |
| Social and cultural values Progressive ↔ Traditionalist | 50 | near the center |
| Political governance Democratic ↔ Autocratic | 79 | toward autocratic |
| Equality and hierarchy Egalitarian ↔ Hierarchical | 24 | toward egalitarian |
| Economic management Free market ↔ State planning | 89 | strongly toward state planning |
| Military intervention Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 55 | near the center |
| Religion and government Secular state ↔ Religious authority | 44 | near the center |
Country and government scores interpret the policies of a specific government or period; they are not an authoritative ranking of countries, and official constitutional structures can differ from how power is exercised in practice. How scores are made.
Key positions (estimated)
| Statement | Position | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| A national religious authority should have the power to veto legislation. | Strongly disagrees | estimated |
| Social media companies should be legally required to remove misinformation. | Strongly agrees | from their record |
| Natural resources should be collectively owned on behalf of the public. | Strongly agrees | from their record |
| National borders should become less important over time. | Strongly disagrees | estimated |
| Society works best when established social hierarchies are respected. | Strongly disagrees | estimated |
| Markets generally distribute goods more effectively than government planners. | Strongly disagrees | estimated |
| A strong leader who gets things done matters more than following proper procedures. | Strongly agrees | estimated |
| Non-intervention should be the default even when allies request military assistance. | Strongly disagrees | estimated |
| Same-sex couples should have the same right to marry as opposite-sex couples. | Agrees | estimated |
| The head of government should have more power to act quickly, even if it weakens checks from lawmakers. | Strongly agrees | estimated |
Closest ideologies
Most similar governments
Sources
- Wikipedia: Presidency of Hugo Chávez (Wikipedia search)
Last reviewed October 11, 2026.