A primer on the status quo at Venezuela's Supreme Tribunal of Justice

[Judi Lynn]

Published: Tuesday, March 16, 2004
Bylined to: VHeadline.com Reporters


A primer on the status quo at Venezuela's Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ)

Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ)


As of Venezuela's 1999 Constitution, the Judicial Branch of government is headed by the Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ), composed of 20 magistrates assigned in equal chambers of competence. Each chamber is has 5 appointed judges where ... in a quorum of at least four ... a ruling may be handed down with a majority of at least 3-1.

Last Friday (March 12) three Constitutional Chamber judges handed down a ruling that expressly forbade the Electoral Chamber from ruling on an opposition appeal relating to more than 800,000 signatures deemed dubious and sent for further revision by the National Elections Council (CNE) in its preliminary results announced March 2.

Yesterday, Monday, the TSJ Electoral Chamber went ahead anyway and handed down a decision in session by three (opposition-allied) judges declaring that what the Constitutional Chamber handed down on Friday week was somehow "illegal."

The result is that pending a further decision in proper order again by the Constitutional Chamber the electoral process of repair on the "dubious" signatures has been put on hold. Should the Constitutional Chamber rule against itself ... which is seen as unlikely ... the CNE would be forced to accept hundreds of thousands of possibly fraudulent signatures as valid and add them to the +1.7 million already validated, making a revocatory referendum against President Hugo Chavez Frias certain.
(snip/...)

http://www.vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=16392

[Judi Lynn]

1. Push to Recall Chavez Hits Supreme Court

Push to Recall Chavez Hits Supreme Court
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: March 16, 2004


Filed at 6:45 p.m. ET

(snip) ......Though the ruling spared Chavez opponents the effort of mobilizing voters to come forward and confirm they signed, it still remains far from certain that a recall vote will be held even though the opposition now has more than enough signatures.

The issue now is in the hands of the 20-member high court, which is divided into several chambers dealing with different areas of law. Monday's ruling came from the court's electoral chamber, whose three magistrates are accused of favoring the opposition.

Chavez supporters have asked the constitutional chamber -- considered mostly pro-government -- to invalidate the 870,000 signatures outright. If the government prevails, a decision from all 20 magistrates would be needed to settle the contradiction between the two chambers.

The court has given no indication on when it would rule. Analysts said a decision could come in hours or weeks.
(snip/...)

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Venezuela-Recall.html
(Free registration required)

[Mika]

2. Jimmy Carter's head must be spinning

I wonder if JC will come out with another statement?

[Judi Lynn]

3. He's probably going to need some assistance

in learning to spot disinformation.

I'm not terribly confident in his personal friendship with Gustavo Cisneros, Venezuelan media owner who also happens to be a good hunting friend of the elder _Bush.

NEW ARTICLE ON VENEZUELAN MEDIA:

Venezuela's sharp political divisions play out on its state and private TV stations

CHRISTOPHER TOOTHAKER, Associated Press Writer
Tuesday, March 16, 2004


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(03-16) 22:45 PST CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) --

Nowhere is Venezuela's political divide more obvious than on its TV stations.

State television depicts anti-government protests as bids by anarchists to topple President Hugo Chavez, while private stations portray the military as using deadly force against unarmed demonstrators and abusing human rights.

The breach between views on state and private TV has been evident since rioting erupted two weeks ago when election officials decided that a petition for a presidential recall lacked enough signatures.

During and after the rioting, which killed at least nine people, the government's Venezolana de Television repeatedly showed footage of elderly women offering water to tired National Guardsmen clad in bulky riot gear under a scorching sun.
(snip/...)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/03/16/international0145EST0421.DTL