2000 Venezuelan general election
{{Short description|None}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2023}}
{{Infobox election
| country = Venezuela (1954)
| election_date = 30 July 2000
| module = {{Infobox election
| embed = yes
| election_name = Presidential election
| type = presidential
| ongoing = no
| previous_election = 1998 Venezuelan presidential election
| previous_year = 1998
| next_election = 2006 Venezuelan presidential election
| next_year = 2006
| turnout = 56.63%
| image1 = Chavez141610-2.jpg
| nominee1 = Hugo Chávez
| party1 = Fifth Republic Movement
| popular_vote1 = 3,757,773
| percentage1 = 59.76%
| image2 = Francisco Arias Cardenas 2.jpg
| nominee2 = Francisco Arias Cárdenas
| party2 = Radical Cause
| popular_vote2 = 2,359,459
| percentage2 = 37.52%
| map_image = Mapa de las elecciones presidenciales de Venezuela de 2000.svg
| map_caption = Results by state
| title = President
| before_election = Hugo Chávez
| before_party = United Socialist Party of Venezuela
| after_election = Hugo Chávez
| after_party = United Socialist Party of Venezuela
| module = {{Infobox legislative election
| election_name = Legislative election
| previous_election = 1998
| previous_year = 1998
| next_election = 2005
| embed = yes
| next_year = 2005
| election_date = 30 July 2000
|first_election=yes
| party1 = Fifth Republic Movement
| leader1 = Hugo Chávez
| percentage1 = 44.38
| seats1 = 92
| party2 = Democratic Action (Venezuela)
| leader2 = Henry Ramos Allup
| percentage2 = 16.11
| seats2 = 33
| party3 = Project Venezuela
| leader3 = Henrique Salas Römer
| percentage3 = 6.94
| seats3 = 6
| party4 = COPEI
| leader4 = Luis Ignacio Planas
| percentage4 = 5.10
| seats4 = 6
| party5 = Movement for Socialism (Venezuela)
| leader5 = Felipe Mujica
| percentage5 = 5.03
| seats5 = 6
| party6 = Radical Cause
| leader6 = Andrés Velásquez
| percentage6 = 4.41
| seats6 = 3
| party7 = Justice First
| leader7 = Henrique Capriles
| percentage7 = 2.47
| seats7 = 5
| party8 = Fatherland for All
| leader8 = José Albornoz
| percentage8 = 2.27
| seats8 = 1
| party9 = A New Era
| leader9 = Manuel Rosales
| percentage9 = 1.75
| seats9 = 3
| party10 = Convergence
| leader10 = Eduardo Lapi
| percentage10 = 1.07
| seats10 = 4
| party11 = MIGATO
| leader11 = José Gregorio Briceño
| percentage11 = 0.47
| seats11 = 1
| party12 = PUAMA
| leader12 =
| percentage12 = 0.04
| seats12 = 1
| party13 = {{abbr|MD|Democratic Movement}}
| leader13 =
| percentage13 = 0.01
| seats13 = 1
| party14 = Indigenous
| party14_link = no
| leader14 = –
| percentage14 = –
| seats14 = 3
| map = Elecciones parlamentarias de Venezuela de 2000 - Resultados por circunscripción.svg
| map_caption = Results by constituency and party-list vote by state
}}}}}}
General elections were held in Venezuela on 30 July 2000, the first under the country's newly adopted 1999 constitution. Incumbent President Hugo Chávez ran for election for a full six-year term under the new constitution. He was challenged by another leftist and former ally, Zulia Governor Francisco Arias Cárdenas. Chávez won the election with almost 60% of the popular vote, increasing his vote share over the previous elections and managing to carry a larger number of states. Arias Cárdenas only managed to narrowly carry his home state of Zulia.
Background
The elections were for all popularly elected positions at different levels of government, which numbered more than six thousand.{{cite news |last1=Aznárez |first1=Juan Jesús |date=19 March 2000 |title=Duelo de comandantes |url=http://elpais.com/diario/2000/03/19/internacional/953420408_850215.html |access-date=5 October 2012 |work=El País (España)}} Venezuela was going through economic problems: although the price of oil had tripled since Chávez had become president, the economy had shrunk by 7%, unemployment had increased and foreign investors had moved away from the country.{{cite news |date=22 February 2000 |title=Deriva venezolana |url=http://elpais.com/diario/2000/02/22/opinion/951174005_850215.html |access-date=5 October 2012 |work=El País (España)}} However, in spite of these problems and with the traditional political parties weakened, Chavez's reelection was imminent.
The elections were originally scheduled for 28 May, but the directors of the National Electoral Council (CNE), appointed by the Chavista majority in the Constituent Assembly, proved to be inefficient and only two days before the elections were to be held, the Supreme Court of Justice suspended the vote as the Electoral Council was not ready yet.{{cite news |last1=Aznárez |first1=Juan Jesús |date=26 May 2000 |title=El Tribunal Supremo de Venezuela suspende las elecciones por falta de condiciones técnicas |url=http://elpais.com/diario/2000/05/26/internacional/959292001_850215.html |access-date=5 October 2012 |work=El País (España)}} Arias Cárdenas called his supporters to gather in front of the CNE to protest, but they were repelled by a group of Chavistas.{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}}
Presidential candidates
Only two politicians, Antonio Ledezma and Claudio Fermín, both former members of Democratic Action and former mayors of the Libertador Municipality of Caracas, made public their intentions to run against Chávez, both independently. Unexpectedly, in mid-February 2000, Chávez allies Francisco Arias Cárdenas, Jesús Urdaneta and Joel Acosta Chirinos; made a public statement giving Chávez an ultimatum to imprison some members of his government, claiming they had irrefutable evidence proving their corruption, including the president of the legislative power, Luis Miquilena, and foreign affairs minister José Vicente Rangel.{{cite news |last1=Vinogradoff |first1=Ludmila |date=17 February 2000 |title=Los compañeros golpistas de Chávez amenazan con retirarle el apoyo si no encarcela a varios altos cargos |url=http://elpais.com/diario/2000/02/17/internacional/950742014_850215.html |access-date=5 October 2012 |work=El País (España)}} Chávez responded by criticizing his former colleagues, whom he reproached for "not having washed the rags at home".
On 15 March Arias Cárdenas, supported by Urdaneta and Acosta Chirinos, registered his candidacy for the presidential election. Upon learning of this, Ledezma withdrew his but Fermin did not. Miquilena's response was to qualify as "trash" those who abandoned Chávez to support Arias Cárdenas.{{cite journal |date=2000 |title=Comentarios: Nubarrones en las Megaelecciones |url=http://gumilla.org/biblioteca/bases/biblo/texto/SIC2000623_120-121.pdf |page=120 |access-date=5 October 2012 |number=623 |periodical=SIC}} The new opposition leader received support from La Causa R and a handful of small leftist parties, although not from Democratic Action and Copei. Even though some analysts considered Arias Cardenas more pragmatic than Chávez, others such as Eleazar Díaz Rangel declared that they were basically the same.{{cite news |last=Aznarez |first=Juan Jesús |date=29 July 2000 |title=Guerra sin cuartel entre las dos caras de la revolución bolivariana |url=http://elpais.com/diario/2000/07/29/internacional/964821605_850215.html |access-date=5 October 2012 |work=El País (España)}}
Electoral system
Representatives in the National Assembly were elected under a mixed member proportional representation, with 60% elected from single seat districts and the remainder by closed party lists.CNN, [http://edition.cnn.com/WORLD/election.watch/americas/venezuela.html Venezuela (Presidential)], accessed 27 September 2010
Results
=President=
{{Election results
|cand1=Hugo Chávez|party1=Fifth Republic Movement|votes1=3757773
|cand2=Francisco Arias Cárdenas|party2=Radical Cause|votes2=2359459
|cand3=Claudio Fermín|party3=National Encounter|votes3=171346
|invalid=348698
|electorate=11720660
|source=[https://web.archive.org/web/20150318112052/http://www.cne.gov.ve/web/documentos/estadisticas/e015.pdf CNE]
}}
=National Assembly=
{{Election results
|image=File:Asamblea Nacional de Venezuela elecciones 2000.svg
|party1=Fifth Republic Movement|votes1=1977992|seats1=92
|party2=Democratic Action|votes2=718148|seats2=33
|party3=Project Venezuela|votes3=309168|seats3=6
|party4=Copei|votes4=227349|seats4=6
|party5=Movement for Socialism|votes5=224170|seats5=6
|party6=Radical Cause|votes6=196787|seats6=3
|party7=Justice First|votes7=109900|seats7=5
|party8=Fatherland for All|votes8=101246|seats8=1
|party9=A New Era|votes9=78109|seats9=3
|party10=Fearless People's Alliance|votes10=49218|seats10=0
|party11=Voters of Miranda|votes11=48291|seats11=0
|party12=Convergence|votes12=47620|seats12=4
|party13=Democratic Left|votes13=37230|seats13=0
|party14=National Encounter|votes14=37036|seats14=0
|party15=United for Human Rights|votes15=33669|seats15=0
|party16=MIGATO|votes16=21044|seats16=1
|party17=Movement for Direct Democracy|votes17=19856|seats17=0
|party18=Communist Party of Venezuela|votes18=15997|seats18=0
|party19=Independent Solidarity|votes19=15272|seats19=0
|party20=Red Flag Party|votes20=14273|seats20=0
|party21=National Integration Movement|votes21=11234|seats21=0
|party22=Organisation Force in Motion|votes22=10547|seats22=0
|party23=Formula 1|votes23=10163|seats23=0
|party24=Independents for National Community|votes24=7760|seats24=0
|party25=FCT|votes25=6869|seats25=0
|party26=Builders of a Country|votes26=6259|seats26=0
|party27=Caroni Decides|votes27=8788|seats27=0
|party28=Emerging People|votes28=5044|seats28=0
|party29=New Democratic Regime|votes29=4403|seats29=0
|party30=Organised Renovation And Emerging Group|votes30=4050|seats30=0
|party31=Revolutionary Apureño Movement|votes31=3952|seats31=0
|party32=People's Electoral Movement|votes32=3738|seats32=0
|party34=Social Democratic Alliance|votes34=3173|seats34=0
|party35=Advanced Regional Movement|votes35=2939|seats35=0
|party36=Independent Regional Emerging Movement|votes36=2686|seats36=0
|party37=Voluntariado|votes37=2643|seats37=0
|party38=Democratic Republican Union|votes38=2641|seats38=0
|party39=Acijusta|votes39=2561|seats39=0
|party40=Communities United for Reason and Self-Esteem|votes40=2493|seats40=0
|party41=Trabuco Mirandino|votes41=2448|seats41=0
|party42=Justice Patrol|votes42=2439|seats42=0
|party43=Integration, Representation and New Hope|votes43=2401|seats43=0
|party44=United for Vargas|votes44=2348|seats44=0
|party45=Ospinero Independent Front for Portuguesa|votes45=2311|seats45=0
|party46=Iniciativa Propia|votes46=2163|seats46=0
|party47=Organised Independent Indigenous Movement|votes47=1967|seats47=0
|party48=United Multi-Ethnic Peoples of Amazonas|votes48=1837|seats48=1
|party49=Out of Love for Venezuela|votes49=1751|seats49=0
|party50=MDD|votes50=1733|seats50=0
|party51=Organised Citizen Option|votes51=1720|seats51=0
|party52=Towards the Good Homeland|votes52=1683|seats52=0
|party53=Social Cause|votes53=1659|seats53=0
|party54=Optimistic People|votes54=1540|seats54=0
|party55=New Insular Generation|votes55=1509|seats55=0
|party56=Renewing Democracy 2000|votes56=1505|seats56=0
|party57=Movimiento Civilista Adelante Cojedes|votes57=1398|seats57=0
|party58=Citizens in Action|votes58=1274|seats58=0
|party59=Voluntariado Organizado Zuliano|votes59=1181|seats59=0
|party60=Reto Popular Merideño|votes60=1112|seats60=0
|party61=Authentic Renewal Organization|votes61=1066|seats61=0
|party62=Comando de Partecipación Comunitaria|votes62=995|seats62=0
|party63=National Opinion|votes63=956|seats63=0
|party64=Movimiento Patriotico Ciudadano "Yo Existo"|votes64=936|seats64=0
|party65=Vision Social Constituyente|votes65=927|seats65=0
|party66=Apoyo Profesional|votes66=912|seats66=0
|party67=Organización Contra el Abuso|votes67=762|seats67=0
|party68=Fuerza Popular|votes68=747|seats68=0
|party69=Caricuao Somos Todos |votes69=740|seats69=0
|party70=Depostistas|votes70=711|seats70=0
|party71=Rompe el Silencio|votes71=695|seats71=0
|party72=Movimiento Ecologico para la Vida|votes72=693|seats72=0
|party73=Pueblo Revolucionario al Cambio y Desarrollo Larense|votes73=688|seats73=0
|party74=Movimiento Democratico|votes74=687|seats74=1
|party75=Fuerza Activa de Partecipación|votes75=635|seats75=0
|party76=Partecipación Popular|votes76=590|seats76=0
|party77=Frente Civico de Militantes Zulianos|votes77=576|seats77=0
|party78=Movimiento 100|votes78=567|seats78=0
|party79=Frente Insular Organizado de Electores|votes79=547|seats79=0
|party80=Patriotas Revolucionarios Independientes|votes80=545|seats80=0
|party81=Decision de Portuguesa|votes81=544|seats81=0
|party82=Poder Vecinal|votes82=535|seats82=0
|party83=Movimiento Unitario Real Opcion|votes83=527|seats83=0
|party84=Foro Democratico|votes84=524|seats84=0
|party85=Opening for National Participation|votes85=522|seats85=0
|party86=Movimiento Republicano|votes86=511|seats86=0
|party87=Guaiqueres en Acción|votes87=509|seats87=0
|party88=Frente Nacionalista Maisanta|votes88=508|seats88=0
|party89=Movimiento De Base Parroquial Zuliano|votes89=508|seats89=0
|party90=RC|votes90=472|seats90=0
|party91=TU CAMINO|votes91=457|seats91=0
|party92=ARENA|votes92=455|seats92=0
|party93=MOV 20|votes93=451|seats93=0
|party94=REALCI|votes94=429|seats94=0
|party95=CAMVIO|votes95=403|seats95=0
|party96=FALCONIA|votes96=396|seats96=0
|party97=AR|votes97=386|seats97=0
|party98=DP|votes98=379|seats98=0
|party99=EL|votes99=372|seats99=0
|party100=SOLUCION|votes100=370|seats100=0
|party101=MIAU|votes101=368|seats101=0
|party102=APD|votes102=363|seats102=0
|party103=M2000|votes103=359|seats103=0
|party104=ACTIVE|votes104=356|seats104=0
|party105=VOTAUNIDOS|votes105=351|seats105=0
|party106=CENUREPU|votes106=350|seats106=0
|party107=PODER MORAL|votes107=341|seats107=0
|party108=G CONDOR|votes108=332|seats108=0
|party109=IPRS|votes109=329|seats109=0
|party110=OPC REG 98|votes110=327|seats110=0
|party111=PROY III MELENIO|votes111=322|seats111=0
|party112=MCR 200|votes112=320|seats112=0
|party113=FPC|votes113=313|seats113=0
|party114=CON|votes114=312|seats114=0
|party115=MP|votes115=307|seats115=0
|party116=NFG|votes116=289|seats116=0
|party117=PPA|votes117=289|seats117=0
|party118=CON GUARICO|votes118=285|seats118=0
|party119=MDR|votes119=285|seats119=0
|party120=SOID SIGLO XXI|votes120=269|seats120=0
|party121=EL PODER 7|votes121=261|seats121=0
|party122=TRIPLE C|votes122=256|seats122=0
|party123=IND AL 2000|votes123=241|seats123=0
|party124=MEV VARGAS|votes124=239|seats124=0
|party125=ASIR|votes125=238|seats125=0
|party126=AB 2000|votes126=237|seats126=0
|party127=IAP|votes127=228|seats127=0
|party128=FT|votes128=223|seats128=0
|party129=VARGAS AL PRO|votes129=223|seats129=0
|party130=IPV|votes130=216|seats130=0
|party131=VEA|votes131=216|seats131=0
|party132=BS21|votes132=214|seats132=0
|party133=MHM|votes133=202|seats133=0
|party134=UVI|votes134=193|seats134=0
|party135=IS|votes135=187|seats135=0
|party136=AMI|votes136=180|seats136=0
|party137=PN|votes137=169|seats137=0
|party138=FRD|votes138=163|seats138=0
|party139=CORDIALIDAD|votes139=144|seats139=0
|party140=POPA|votes140=129|seats140=0
|party141=MOREI 2000|votes141=116|seats141=0
|party142=VEA|votes142=109|seats142=0
|party143=T UCLAS|votes143=103|seats143=0
|party144=MOCI|votes144=101|seats144=0
|party145=MLI|votes145=100|seats145=0
|party146=MRG 2000|votes146=100|seats146=0
|party147=AV 98|votes147=94|seats147=0
|party148=CONPACO|votes148=94|seats148=0
|party149=PACIFICO|votes149=90|seats149=0
|party150=SER|votes150=88|seats150=0
|party151=POETA|votes151=84|seats151=0
|party152=AI|votes152=80|seats152=0
|party153=MIO|votes153=77|seats153=0
|party154=INITA|votes154=74|seats154=0
|party155=MIA AMAZONAS|votes155=71|seats155=0
|party156=PM|votes156=71|seats156=0
|party157=DEPURACION|votes157=70|seats157=0
|party158=FAI|votes158=64|seats158=0
|party159=CFPI|votes159=61|seats159=0
|party160=PCMI|votes160=58|seats160=0
|party161=MJPT|votes161=57|seats161=0
|party162=MUPI|votes162=49|seats162=0
|party163=OPIC|votes163=48|seats163=0
|party164=GIR AMAZONAS|votes164=41|seats164=0
|party165=MOVE|votes165=40|seats165=0
|party166=MU CAMBIO|votes166=39|seats166=0
|party167=DR 2000|votes167=38|seats167=0
|party168=INCVF|votes168=35|seats168=0
|party169=MOVES 21|votes169=33|seats169=0
|party170=PARTICIPA|votes170=21|seats170=0
|party171=MEAI|votes171=13|seats171=0
|party172=MIRA|votes172=8|seats172=0
|party173=TSV|votes173=8|seats173=0
|party174=CI|votes174=5|seats174=0
|row175=Indigenous representatives|seats175=3
|invalid=2101850
|electorate=11705702
|source=[https://web.archive.org/web/20170805234914/http://www.cne.gob.ve/web/documentos/estadisticas/e018.pdf CNE], [https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/bitstream/handle/2152/17162/lh_seats_bydistrict_byparty_2000.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y CNE]
}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Venezuelan elections}}
{{Topics related to Hugo Chávez}}
{{Chávez presidency}}
Category:Bolivarian Revolution
Category:Elections in Venezuela