Editorial illustration for Why Propose a Sixth Republic?

The continuity that must be broken

The Sixth Republic is a proposal by MVGA to change the relationship between power, income and citizen. The number expresses a break with political cycles IV and V; It does not have legal value in itself and does not automatically solve Venezuela's problems. Its usefulness will depend on the institutions that are proposed and the legitimacy of the process that establishes them.

The thesis is that a presidential replacement can leave the structure of failure intact. If the Executive continues to concentrate resources, appointments and decisions; if the citizen depends on a permit or a card; if justice protects the government; and if oil finances uncontrolled commitments, changing leaders can renew hope without changing the conditions.

What does it mean to refound?

Refounding means setting rules that also bind those who lead the change. MVGA proposes an Executive subject to legislative and judicial control; publicly appointed electoral authorities with guarantees of independence; transparent budgeting and contracting; civil service by capacity; and decentralization with defined powers and financing.

These proposals are design lines for discussion. They do not invent an already approved constitution or promise economic results without calculation. A mechanism must indicate who decides, who reviews, what resources it operates with, and how an authority that fails to comply can be replaced. Without these answers, the word refoundation can become another resource of personalism.

Economic reform must protect property and competition, allow initiative, and reduce the discretionary distribution of opportunity. Security, justice and infrastructure functions need effective capacity. Social protection must have public criteria, sustainability and paths to autonomy. Oil must finance investment and savings under rules, instead of justifying any expansion of spending.

How to obtain legitimacy

A constitutional transformation requires citizen decision, freedom to debate and compete, clear rules and protection of minorities. MVGA proposes that the process establish its limits before choosing those who will lead it. A consultation must offer understandable alternatives; A constituent body should not be given unlimited permission to dissolve controls or be extended without end.

The experience of 1999 shows why it is important to distinguish electoral origin and exercise of power. There were referendums and a new Constitution, but the IACHR later examined problems of the transitional regime, separation of powers and competition. The vote does not grant authority to erase rights nor does it make any subsequent action legitimate.

The transition must publish mandates, deadlines and results. International assistance can contribute to security and recovery; The outcome requires Venezuelan institutions with the capacity to decide. MVGA supports the rupture that Maduro's capture opened, and demands that this opportunity not end in an indefinite administration of the same agency.

What should last

The independence of a judge, the continuity of a school, the predictability of a contract and the right to dissent must survive the enthusiasm for the government of the day. The new Republic will make sense if it becomes less necessary to look for a political protector to work, invest, study or claim.

The Venezuelanness that MVGA proposes is a present responsibility: study history, conserve capabilities and correct practices that degraded the nation. A new constitution can help, but the text alone does not build institutional behavior. A culture of compliance and citizens with information to demand it are needed.

The Sixth Republic will be a serious proposal when its promoters agree to apply the controls that they demand from their adversaries. That is the MVGA criterion: a start whose power is limited from the beginning, whose spending is visible and whose citizens can replace those who govern.

Sources and references

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