Coordinadora Democrática (Venezuela)
The Coordinadora Democrática (Democratic Coordinator, CD) was an umbrella group of Venezuelan political parties and organisations opposed to President Hugo Chávez. Founded on 5 July 2002,[1] it was involved in organising the Venezuelan general strike of 2002-2003 and the 2004 Venezuelan recall referendum. The group included a wide range of political parties and other actors, including the business federation Fedecámaras and the trade union federation Confederación de Trabajadores de Venezuela (CTV).[2]
| Formation | 5 July 2002 |
|---|---|
| Dissolved | 2004 |
| Type | Political organization |
| Location | |
History edit
The CD was created in large part to enable the opposition to participate in the Organization of American States (OAS) "mesa" dialogue process (Mesa de Negociacion y Acuerdos) which followed the 2002 Venezuelan coup d'état attempt.[1] "The opposition participated in the OAS-facilitated dialogue process as but one of several tracks in a multitrack strategy to oust the Chavez government. ... As long as the elements grouped together under the Coordinadora Democratica continued their pursuit of street tactics, the mesa advanced little on its three-point agenda. Instead, it served during this period of heightened mobilization as a valuable communication link between two polarized sides that were otherwise not communicating."[1]
After the February 2003 failure of the Venezuelan general strike of 2002-2003, the CD was much more willing to discuss the mesa's proposals, and pushed for a binding recall referendum under Article 72 of the Constitution of Venezuela, which was ultimately agreed on 23 May 2003.[1][3] The CD rejected the outcome of the 2004 Venezuelan recall referendum, which saw 59% of the vote for Chavez.[1] During its two years of existence, CD received funding from the United States Agency for International Development.[4][unbalanced opinion?]
Parties edit
- Acción Agropecuaria (AA)
- Acción Democrática (AD)
- Alianza Bravo Pueblo (ABP)
- Alianza por la Libertad (APL)
- Bandera Roja (BR)
- Convergencia
- Copei
- La Causa R (LCR)
- Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS)
- Movimiento de Integridad Nacional Unidad (MIN)
- Primero Justicia (PJ)
- Proyecto Venezuela (PV)
- Solidaridad
- Solidaridad Independiente (SI)
- Unión
- Unión Republicana Democrática (URD)
- Visión Emergente (VE)
Among the parties that joined later were:
- Democracia Renovadora (DR)
- Fuerza Liberal (FL)
- Movimiento Republicano (MR)
- Movimiento Trabajo (MT)
- Opinión Nacional (Opina)
- Movimiento Resistencia Civil (MRC)
- Un Nuevo Tiempo (UNT)
- Un Solo Pueblo (USP)
References edit
- ^ a b c d e Cooper, Andrew F.; Legler, Thomas (3 August 2005). "A Tale of Two Mesas: The OAS Defense of Democracy in Peru and Venezuela". Global Governance: A Review of Multilateralism and International Organizations. 11 (4): 425–444. doi:10.1163/19426720-01104003.
- ^ López Maya, Margarita (August 2004). "Venezuela 2001-2004: actores y estrategias" [Venezuela 2001-2004: actors and strategies]. Cuadernos del Cendes (in Spanish). 21 (56): 109–132.
- ^ OAS, Agreement Between the Representatives of the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and the Political and Social Groups Supporting It, and the Coordinadora Democratica and the Political and Civil Society Organizations Supporting It, Caracas, 23 May 2003.
- ^ Dominguez, Francisco (2011). "Chapter 7 - Venezuela's opposition: desperately seeking to overthrow Chávez". Right-Wing Politics in the New Latin America: Reaction and Revolt. Zed Books. ISBN 9781848138148.