Venezuelan opposition: Enabling Law fails to solve our problems

Opposition leaders deemed the Enabling Law that President Hugo Chavez was granted in December 2010 excessive and devoid of positive results for the Venezuelan population.

"The problems that the president was supposed to solve through his special ruling powers still remain. The enabling law was justified for a year and a half now so that the president would be able to offer solutions to the trauma and hardships that our country's victims face. Everyone, and most of all those who are still suffering from them, know that the problems that the rainstorms brought upon us a year and a half ago still remain today. This enabling law has not made anything better for the people," said constitutional lawyer Gerardo Fernández, a member of the Opposition Campaign Team.

"Enabling law is and always has been unconstitutional and a fraud to the public. Enabling law was granted by the National Assembly when the constitutionally mandatory period of said Assembly was already over," he declared.

Fernández asserted that the enabling law was allowing the President of the Republic's word to substitute, or override, the functions of the National Assembly.

"This measure was in force for an excessive period and served as a sort of blank check that allowed the president to draft laws of any scope at will. The enabling law prevented the incoming National Assembly from exercising its functions," he remarked.

Translated by Alejandro Osio