Happy Birthday America

#**121** July 5th 03, 03:30 PM

On Fri, 4 Jul 2003 15:34:03 -0700, "OldfartJC" wrote:

-I didn't realize you Canadians in Alberta hated us that much. My friends
in
-Edmonton always like to come to the U.S. to buy stuff at much cheaper
prices
-than they can in Canada. Non sens cause the exportation cost a few box
plus some other law from your side that taxe us to get some american
product. Have you ever think about playing strayght whit your partner?
i guest your just scared to get low cote on e-bay.

Must be all your liberal laws that causes (with all the injustice taht
fly-bly from the south, ( just like resolution from kyoto. To reduce the
pollution.)- where do you think thai **** goes to the north. You should
show some respet to others.
-everything to be so expensive or maybe it's your great healthcare system
(prebent people to die from hearth desseases and some other sickness not
like your's how let you die whitout any compassion) I can say this- one
time i knew a guy from the us and i did lived in canada for 5 year, one
time we were discusing about that ( the health care system and he sayd
that was a very good thing to get )

in your country it must be. 50 box to pay a visite to the doctor or
higher.

-which probably taxes you to death, which means you wouldn't need
healthcare
-for very long.
-
-"Dan" wrote in message
a...
- Bingo it is assholes like you that cause all these other nations to hate
- America.
-
- "neopolaris" . wrote in message
...
-
- There probably wouldn't even be an internet or computers if it weren't
-for
- the United States. There probably wouldn't be a helluva lotta things.
-
- If you dislike 'US" tough. We are making the world a better
place-one
- sandbox and rice paddy at a time.
-
- PS: Yo fatass KAI. I have a temper too. Goes well with my formal
Army
- training. In short, shut your piehole.
-
- neopolaris
- ex-grunt
- E-3-1
-
-
-
-
-

#**122** July 5th 03, 03:52 PM

"Kai Robinson" wrote in message
...
Exactly what is the point of posting this in here? Is this a forum just
for
yanks? Is this forum dealing with the US specifically? No. Please dont
post
this crap in here - there are other NG's for that.

Happy whatever it is day though...

There are *hundreds* of countries in the world, and this is not the place to
get a posting every time one of them has one of their national days. If
anything, Usenet is remarkable in that there ARE no borders, and we all post
as citizens of the world. There's no border control who asks us whether we
know anyone who's been a member of a communist party before allowing us to
visit our family. There's no policemen who will beat us to an inch of our
lives because we happen to be black, gay, or of a different faith at the
wrong place at the wrong time. There's no politicians who will have us
detained indefinitely as a threat to national homeland security for
protesting and demonstrating here.

Do not sully Usenet with patriotic rallies. This is not, and will never be,
the proper outlet for nationalistic or xenophobic drivel. If you really
want to discuss (yes, Usenet is for *DISCUSSION*) the US declaration of
independence, I suggest you head over to soc.culture.usa
In these other groups, you may end up to a crowd that doesn't give a damn
about your country as long as the US dollar stays low.

--
*Art

#**123** July 5th 03, 03:56 PM

"Dave" wrote in message
t...

"Kai Robinson" wrote in message
...
Haha - well thats america for you - plenty of dumbasses :P

Please keep the stereotyping to a minimum...that is unless you would like
us
Americans to typify France as a bunch of unwashed, pungent, elitist
snail-eating Socialists with poor drinking water, strange sexual
[chop]

I'm not French, but now you make me wonder -- where on Earth do you live
where being *elitist* is a bad thing? Does your culture praise mediocrity
as the ideal?

--
*Art

#**124** July 5th 03, 04:14 PM

Indeed - especially in light of the fact that 90% of the country has no
electricity, no indoor plumbing, no phones, etc., etc., etc.....

A view of the world taken from space at night shows that there are no lights
in China much beyond the "strip" about a hundred miles wide along it's
coastline. China, on balance, may be the least technologically advanced
country on the planet - certainly not the "most".....

Speaking as someone who has been to China, I can report that it's a great
place to study "Stone Age" living in detail......they have a marvelous
culture, etc., but technology isn't something they specialize in.....

PC

"Z28" wrote in message
...
| China is well ahead of America with advanced rice patties and human
decency
| applications.

#**125** July 5th 03, 04:15 PM

"SST" wrote in message
t...
BTW: I want to know where your from because I'd like to decide if you
represent your nation or if you're just commie, pink'o moron. I can then
make an honest decision to not travel your nation and urge my congressman
and senators to avoid supporting such nations.

I avoid anything French made or owned and unfortunately I drive a German
car
but next time it will most likely be some American owned or dominated
manufacturer.

I do this every year and it always draws the maggots to the surface.

Please contemplate this: The US and French revolutions go hand in hand, and
are in part based on each other. Many of the assemblymen and founding
fathers were great fans of the French revolutionaries, and the first
amendment was to a great extent based on the Declaration des Droits de
l'Homme et du Citoyen (declaration of the rights of man and of the citizen).
That's right, you're waving your flag (Notice the colors? Where do you
think they came from?) under the protection of a French declaration!

Things are never as black/white as radicals on either side see them. You
can be a socialist without being a communist, you can be anti-war without
being pro-terrorists, and you can be US American without hating/fearing
other countries and peoples.

And don't forget, this is Usenet where there *are* no borders, no body
odour, no obesity, no skin colour, and no congressmen. Let's keep it that
way.

--
*Art

#**126** July 5th 03, 05:14 PM

"Steve Trussing" wrote in message
...
x-no-archive: yes

TheSingingCat wrote:

I'd have great
difficulty in believing that without US contributions to the
computing world we would not have computers.

Don't kid yourself:

** World's first operational, general-purpose, electronic computer:
ENIAC (Electrical Numerical Integrator And Calculator, U.S. Patent
#3,120,606), University of Pennsylvania, USA, 1946

Of course, there wouldn't have been an ENIAC without the COLOSSUS mark I and
II, and Harvard Mark I that the British had built earlier. The ENIAC wasn't
the first US computer either -- the Bells Labs Model IV preceded it.

The first computer, though, was the German Zuse from 1939 (using mechanical
relays).

As usual, this is a case of the US taking credit for inventions where no
credit is due, just like the Automobile, airplane, electric lights, space
exploration and much else where they were good number 2's, but stole the
credits.

** First-ever high-level computer programming language: FORTRAN, USA,
1954 (released in 1957)

Of course, this is true if you conveniently forget about Plankalkul from
1945.

** First-ever computer game: Spacewar, MIT, USA, 1962

How horribly wrong. NIM was played on Univac in 1953.

I'm *SICK AND TIRED* about ****ing American chauvinism and nationalism. The
US is NOT the best goddamn country in the world. It is *one* country in the
world, for better and for worse. Sure, it's great. NO, it's NOT greater.
It's a country. It happens to be my country, but so frigging what? It's
just a country full of people -- some who's bright and shining, and some
who's pathetic morons.

Regards,
--
*Art

#**127** July 5th 03, 05:28 PM

"Tom Lake" wrote in message
news

Nothing to do with patriotism. This NG is international, so what if
everybody here starts posting useless historical info about their own
country?? Wanna read about the Czech constitution????

Yes, I would! I'd like to learn about any country on its special day.

Venezuela declared independence on July 5. Here's their constitution:

TITLE I
THE REPUBLIC, ITS TERRITORY AND POLITICAL DIVISIONS

Chapter I Fundamental Provisions
Chapter II The Territory and Political Divisions
Chapter III The States
Chapter IV Municipalities
TITLE II
NATIONALITY
TITLE III
DUTIES, RIGHTS AND GUARANTIES

Chapter I General Provisions
Chapter II Duties
Chapter III Individual Rights
Chapter IV Social Rights
Chapter V Economic Rights
Chapter VI Political Rights
TITLE IV
THE PUBLIC POWER

Chapter I General Provisions
Chapter II Provisions of the National Power
TITLE V
THE NATIONAL LEGISLATIVE POWER

Chapter I General Provisions
Chapter II The Senate
Chapter III The Chamber of Deputies
Chapter IV Common Provisions
Chapter V Enactment of Laws
Chapter VI The Delegate Committee of Congress
TITLE VI
THE NATIONAL, EXECUTIVE POWER

Chapter I The President of the Republic
Chapter II Powers of the President of the Republic
Chapter III The Ministers
Chapter IV The Office of Attorney General of the Republic

TITLE VII
THE JUDICIAL POWER AND PUBLIC MINISTRY

Chapter I General Provisions
Chapter II The Supreme Court of Justice
Chapter III The Council on the Judiciary
Chapter IV The Public Ministry
TITLE VIII
THE PUBLIC FINANCES

Chapter I General Provisions
Chapter II The Office of Comptroller General of the Republic
TITLE
IX EMERGENCY
TITLE X
AMENDMENTS AND REFORM OF THE CONSTITUTION
TITLE XI
INVIOLABILITY OF THE CONSTITUTION
TITLE XII
FINAL PROVISIONS
TRANSITORY PROVISIONS

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THE CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC OF VENEZUELA having called for the vote of the
Legislative Assemblies of the States of Anzoategui, Apure, Aragua, Barinas,
Bolivar, Carabobo, Cojedes, Falcon, Guarico, Lara, Merida, Miranda, Monagas,
Nueva Esparta, Portuguesa, Sucre, Tachira, Trujillo, Yaracuy, and Zulia, and
having seen the favorable result of the voting, in representation of the
Venezuelan people, for whom it invokes protection of God Almighty; with the
aim of maintaining the independence and territorial integrity of the Nation,
strengthening its unity, ensuring the freedom, peace, and stability of its
institutions;

protecting and uplifting labor, upholding human dignity, promoting the
general wellbeing and social security, achieving an equitable participation
by all in the enjoyment of wealth, according to the principles of social
justice; and promoting the development of the economy in the service of man;

maintaining social and legal equality, without discrimination on account of
race, sex, creed, or social conditions;

cooperating with all other nations, and especially with the sister republics
of the Hemisphere, in the aims of the international community, on the basis
of mutual respect for sovereignty, the self determination of peoples, the
universal guarantee of the individual and social rights of the human person,
and the repudiation of war, of conquest, and of economic predominance as an
instrument of international policy;

supporting the democratic order as the soul and irrenouncable means of
ensuring the rights and dignity of citizens and favoring the peaceful
extension to all the peoples of the earth;

and preserving and increasing the moral and historical patrimony of the
Nation forged by the people in their struggles for freedom and justice and
by the thoughts and deeds of the great servant of their country, whose
highest expression is Simon Bolivar, the Liberator, decrees the following

CONSTITUTION

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----

TITLE I
THE REPUBLIC, ITS TERRITORY AND POLITICAL DIVISIONS

CHAPTER I

Fundamental Provisions

Article 1. The Republic of Venezuela is forever and irrevocably free and
independent from any domination or protection by a foreign power.

Article 2. The Republic of Venezuela is a federal state, within the terms
affirmed by this Constitution.

Article 3. The government of the Republic of Venezuela is and always shall
be democratic, representative, responsible, and alternating.

Article 4. Sovereignty resides in the people, who exercise it, by means of
suffrage, through the organs of the Public Power.

Article 5. The National flag, with the colors yellow, blue, and red; the
national hymn "Glory to a Brave People;" and the coat of arms of the
Republic, are the symbols of the country.
The law shall determine their characteristics and regulate their use.

Article 6. The official language is Spanish.

CHAPTER II

The Territory and Political Divisions

Article 7. The national territory is that which belonged to the Captaincy
General of Venezuela before the political transformation initiated in 1810,
with the modifications resulting from treaties validly concluded by the
Republic.
Sovereignty, authority, and vigilance over the territorial sea, the
contiguous maritime zone, the continental shelf, and the air space, and also
the ownership and exploitation of property and resources contained within
them, shall be exercised to the extent and under the conditions determined
by law.

Article 8. The national territory may never be ceded, transferred, leased,
or in any way alienated, even partially or temporarily, to a foreign power.
Within such area as is determined, foreign States may only acquire, under
guarantees of reciprocity and with the limitations established by law, the
real property necessary for the seat of their diplomatic or consular
representation. The acquisition of real property by international
organizations may be authorized only under the conditions and restrictions
established by law. In all these cases sovereignty over the land shall
always be retained.

Article 9. The national territory is divided, for the purposes of the
political organization of the Republic, into the States, the Federal
District, the Federal Territories, and the Federal Dependencies.

Article 10. States may merge, alter their present boundaries, and decide
upon exchanges or cessions of territory through agreements approved by their
Legislative Assemblies and ratified by the Senate. Alterations of boundaries
and exchanges or cessions of territory between the Federal District or the
Federal Territories or Dependencies and the States may be accomplished
through agreements between the National Executive and the pertinent States,
ratified by the corresponding legislative Assemblies and by the Senate.

Article 11. The city of Caracas is the capital of the Republic and the
permanent seat of the supreme organs of the National Power.
The provisions of this article do not prevent the temporary exercise of the
National Power in other places in the Republic.
A special law may coordinate the different jurisdictions existing within the
metropolitan area of Caracas, without impairing municipal autonomy.

Article 12. The Federal District and the Federal Territories shall be
organized by organic laws, in which municipal autonomy shall be maintained.

Article 13. By a special law a Federal Territory may be given the status of
a State and allotted all or part of the area of the Territory concerned.

Article 14. The Federal Dependencies are those portions of the territory of
the Republic not included in the States, Territories, and Federal District,
and also such islands as may be formed or appear in the territorial sea or
in the sea covering the continental shelf. Their system of government and
administration shall be established by law.

Article 15. The law may establish a special juridical system for those
territories which, by the free determination of their inhabitants and with
the approval of Congress, are incorporated into the Republic.

CHAPTER III

The States

Article 16. The States are autonomous and equal as political entities. They
are obligated to maintain the independence and integrity of the Nation; and
to comply with and enforce the Constitution and the laws of the Republic.
They shall give faith and credit to public acts issued by national
authorities, other States, and municipalities and shall see that they are
executed.
Each State may preserve its present name or change it.

Article 17. The following are within the competence of each State:

1. The organization of its public powers, in conformity with this
Constitution;

2. The organization of its Municipalities and other local entities and
their political and territorial division, in accordance with this
Constitution and the national laws;
3. The administration of its property and the expenditure of the
constitutional allotment and other revenues pertaining to it, subject to the
provisions of articles 229 and 235 of this Constitution;
4. The use of the public credit, subject to the limitations and
requirements established by national laws;
5. The organization of the urban and rural police and the determination of
the branches of this service to be placed under municipal jurisdiction;
6. Any matters entrusted to it in accordance with article 137;
7. Whatever is not, in conformity with this Constitution, within national
or municipal competence.
Article 18. The States may not:

1. Create customhouses or import, export, or transit taxes on foreign or
domestic goods, or other sources of revenue under national or municipal
jurisdiction;
2. Tax consumer goods before they enter into circulation within their
territory;
3. Prohibit the consumption of goods produced outside their territory, or
tax them differently from those produced within it;
4. Levy taxes on livestock or on their products or by-products.
Article 19. The Legislative Power in each State is exercised by a
Legislative Assembly whose members must meet the same qualifications as
those required by this Constitution to be a Deputy and shall be elected by
direct vote with proportional representation of minorities, according to
law.
The Legislative Assembly is competent to examine and monitor any act of the
State public administration.
Members of the Legislative Assemblies shall enjoy immunity within the
territory of their State from ten days before the beginning of sessions
until ten days after the latter close or the member leaves office. This
immunity shall be governed by the rules of this Constitution relative to the
immunity of Senators and Deputies, to the extent that they are applicable.

Article 20. The powers of the Legislative Assembly a

1. To legislate on matters within state competence;
2. To approve or disapprove annually the actions of the Governor, in a
special session called for that purpose;
3. To sanction the Budget Law of the State; The total expenditures
authorized by the Budget Law may in no case exceed the estimate of revenues
for the pertinent period made by the Governor in the bill presented to the
Legislative Assembly;
4. Any others attributed to it by law.
Article 21. The government and administration of each State are the
responsibility of a Governor, who in addition to being executive head of the
State is the agent of the National Executive in his district .
To be a Governor one must be a Venezuelan by birth, over thirty years of
age, and a layman.

Article 22. The law may establish the manner of electing and removing
Governors, in accordance with the principles set forth in article 3 of this
Constitution. The pertinent bill must first be approved by the Chambers in
joint session, by a vote of two thirds of their members. The law shall not
be subject to veto by the President of the Republic. Until the Law provided
for in this article is enacted, Governors shall be freely appointed and
removed by the President of the Republic.

Article 23. The powers and duties of a Governor are;

1. To comply with and enforce this Constitution and the laws, and to
execute and see to the execution of orders and resolutions received from the
National Executive;
2. To appoint and remove those officials and employees under him whose
designation is not conferred upon some other authority, without prejudice to
the laws governing the administrative career;
3. To present to the Legislative Assembly a report of his administration
for the year immediately preceding;
4. To present to the Legislative Assembly the bill for the Budget Law.
Article 24. Disapproval of the acts of a Governor shall cause his immediate
removal in the event that this is expressly agreed upon by a vote of two
thirds of the members of the Legislative Assembly .

CHAPTER IV

Municipalities

Article 25. The Municipalities constitute the primary and autonomous
political unit within the national organization. They are juridical persons
and their representation shall be exercised by such organs as are determined
by law.

Article 26. The organization of Municipalities and other local entities
shall be governed by this Constitution, by the rules established in national
organic laws for the fulfillment of the constitutional principles, and by
legal provisions enacted by the States in conformity therewith.

Article 27. The law may establish different systems for the organization,
government, and administration of Municipalities, based on population,
economic development, geographical location, and other important factors. In
all cases the municipal organization shall be democratic and respond to the
particular nature of the local government.

Article 28. Municipalities may be grouped into Districts. Municipalities may
also join together for specified purposes within their competence.

Article 29. The autonomy of a Municipality covers:

1. The election of its authorities;
2. Freedom of action on matters within its competence;
3. The creation, collection, and expenditure of its revenues; Acts of
Municipalities may not be challenged except before jurisdictional
authorities, in accordance with this Constitution and the laws.
Article 30. Within municipal competence are the government and
administration of the interests peculiar to the entity, particularly in
relation to its property and revenues and to the matters of concern to local
life, such as urban development, supplies, traffic, culture, health, social
welfare popular credit institutions, tourism, and municipal police.
The law may grant municipalities exclusive competence in particular matters
and may also impose on them a compulsory minimum of services.

Article 31. Municipalities shall have the following revenues:

1. The proceeds from their common lands and their own property;
2. Excises for the use of their property and services;
3. Licenses on industry, business, and vehicles and taxes on urban real
property and public entertainment;
4. Fines imposed by municipal authorities and others attributed to them by
law;
5. State or national subsidies and donations; and
6. Any other special taxes, excises and contributions that they impose
according to law.
Article 32. The common lands are inalienable and imprescriptible. They may
be alienated only for construction in the cases established by municipal
ordinance and after compliance with the formalities indicated therein. Those
specified by law may also be alienated for purposes of agrarian reform, but
those required for the development of urban centers shall in all cases be
presented.

Article 33. Municipalities may make use of Public credit subject to such
limitations and requirements as are established by law.

Article 34. Municipalities shall be subject to the limitations established
in article 18 of this Constitution and may not levy on the products of
agriculture, stock-raising, or food fishery any taxes other than those on
retail trade.

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TITLE II
Nationality

Article 35. The following are Venezuelan by birth:

1. Those born in the territory of the Republic;
2. Those born in foreign territory of native-born Venezuelan father and
mother;
3. Those born in foreign territory of a native-born Venezuelan father or a
native-born Venezuelan mother, provided that they establish their residence
in the territory of the Republic or state they desire to take Venezuelan
nationality; and
4. Those born in foreign territory of a naturalized Venezuelan father or
naturalized Venezuelan mother, provided that before reaching eighteen years
of age they establish their residence in the territory of the Republic and
before reaching twenty-five years of age they state their desire to take
Venezuelan nationality.
Article 36. Foreigners who obtain a certificate of naturalization are
Venezuelans by naturalization.
Foreigners who by birth have the nationality of Spain or of a Latin American
State shall enjoy special facilities in obtaining a certificate of
naturalization.

Article 37. The following are Venezuelan by naturalization whenever they
state their desire to be so;

1. A foreign woman married to a Venezuelan;
2. Foreign miners as of the date of naturalization of the person who has
parental authority over them, if they reside in the territory of the
Republic and make the statement before they reach twenty-five years of age;
and
3. Foreign miners adopted by Venezuelans, if they reside in the territory
of the Republic and make the statement before they reach twenty-five years
of age.
Article 38. A Venezuelan woman who marries a foreigner retains her
nationality unless she states her desire to the contrary and, according to
the national law of her husband, acquires his nationality .

Article 39. Venezuelan nationality is lost:

1. By option or voluntary acquisition of another nationality;
2. By revocation of naturalization through a court judgment according to
law.
Article 40. Venezuelan nationality by birth is recovered when the person who
has lost it becomes domiciled in the territory of the Republic and states
his desire to recover it, or when he remains in the country for a period of
not less than two years.

Article 41. The statement of desire contemplated in articles 35, 37, and 40
shall be made in certified form by the interested party if over eighteen
years of age, or by his legal representative if he has not reached that age.

Article 42. The law shall enact, in accordance with the spirit of the
foregoing provisions, the substantive and procedural rules relating to the
acquisition, option, loss, and recovery of Venezuelan nationality, shall
resolve conflicts of nationality, shall establish the requirements,
favorable circumstances, and formalities, and shall regulate the loss and
annulment of naturalization by expression of desire and by the obtaining of
a naturalization certificate.

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TITLE III
DUTIES, RIGHTS AND GUARANTEES

CHAPTER I

General Provisions

Article 43. All persons have the right to the free development of their
personality, with no other limitations than those deriving from the rights
of others and from the public and social order.

Article 44. No legislative provision shall have retroactive effect except
when it imposes a lesser penalty. Procedural laws shall apply from the time
they enter into force, even in cases that are pending; but in criminal
trials evidence already introduced, insofar as it is beneficial to the
defendant, shall be weighed in accordance with the law in force at the time
it was given.

Article 45. Foreigners have the same duties and rights as Venezuelans, with
the limitations and exceptions established by this Constitution and the
laws.
Political rights are reserved to Venezuelans, except as provided in article
3.
Venezuelans by naturalization who have entered the country before they
reached seven years of age and have resided there permanently until they
attained their majority shall enjoy the same rights as Venezuelans by birth.

Article 46. Any act of the Public Power that violates or impairs the rights
guaranteed by this Constitution is void, and the public officials and
employees who execute it shall be held criminally, civilly, or
administratively liable, as the case may be, and orders of superiors
manifestly contrary to the Constitution and the laws may not serve as an
excuse.

Article 47. In no case may Venezuelans or foreigners claim indemnity from
the Republic, the States, or the Municipalities for damages, loss, or
expropriation not caused by legitimate authorities in the exercise of their
public office.

Article 48. Any agent of authority who carries out measures restricting
freedom must identify himself as such when the persons affected so demand.

Article 49. The Courts shall protect every inhabitant of the Republic in the
enjoyment and exercise of the rights and guarantees established in this
Constitution, in conformity with the Law.
Proceedings shall be brief and summary, and the competent judge shall have
the power to reestablish immediately the legal situation infringed.

Article 50. The enunciation of rights and guarantees contained in this
Constitution should not be construed as a denial of others which, being
inherent in the human person, are not expressly mentioned in it.
The lack of a law regulating these rights does not impair the exercise
thereof.

CHAPTER II

Duties

Article 51. Venezuelans have the duty to honor and defend their country, and
to safeguard and protect the interests of the Nation.

Article 52. Both Venezuelans and foreigners must comply with, and obey the
Constitution and the laws, and the decrees, resolutions, and orders issued
by legitimate organs of the Public Power in the exercise of their functions.

Article 53. Military service is compulsory and shall be rendered without
distinction as to class or social condition, in the terms and on the
occasions fixed by law.

Article 54. Work is a duty of every person fit to perform it.

Article 55. Education is compulsory to the extent and under the conditions
fixed by law. Parents and representatives are responsible for compliance
with this duty, and the State shall provide the means whereby all may comply
with it.

Article 56. All persons are obligated to contribute to the public
expenditures.

Article 57. The obligations that belong to the State with respect to the
assistance, education and well-being for the people do not exclude those
which, by virtue of social solidarity, are incumbent on individuals
according to their capacity. The law may impose compliance with these
obligations in cases where it may be necessary. It may also impose on
persons who aspire to practice particular professions the duty to render
services for a certain time in such places and under such conditions as are
indicated.

CHAPTER III

Individual Rights

Article 58. The right to life is inviolable. No law may establish the death
penalty nor any authority carry it out.

Article 59. Every person has the right to be protected against injury to his
honor, reputation, or private life.

Article 60. Personal liberty and safety are inviolable, and consequently:

1. No one may be arrested or detained, unless caught in flagrante, except
by virtue of a written order of an official authorized to decree the
detention, in the cases and with the formalities prescribed by law. The
summary proceedings may not be prolonged beyond the maximum legally fixed
limit.
The accused shall have access to the proceedings of the summary hearing
and to all means of defense prescribed by law as soon as warrant for arrest
is issued.
In the event that a punishable act has been committed, the police
authorities may adopt such provisional measures of necessity or urgency, as
are essential to ensure investigation of the act and trial of the guilty
parties. The law shall fix a brief and peremptory time limit within which
the judicial authorities must be notified of such measures, and shall also
establish a period during which the latter shall rule on them, it being
understood that they have been revoked and are without effect unless
confirmed within that period.
2. No one may be deprived of his liberty on account of obligations the
non-compliance with which has not been defined by law as a crime or
misdemeanor.
3. No one may be held incommunicado or subjected to torture or to other
proceedings which cause physical or moral suffering. Any physical or moral
attack inflicted on a person subjected to restriction of his liberty is
punishable.
4. No one may be required to take an oath or compelled to make a statement
or to acknowledge guilt in a criminal trial against himself, or against his
spouse or the person with whom he lives as if married, or against his
relatives within the fourth degree of consanguinity or second of affinity.
5. No one may be convicted in a criminal trial without first having been
personally notified of the charges and heard in the manner prescribed by
law.
Persons accused of an offense against the res publica may be tried in
absentia, with the guarantees and in the manner prescribed by law.
6. No one shall remain in detention after an order for release has been
issued by a competent authority or after the penalty imposed has been
satisfied. The of bail required by law for granting provisional liberty of
the person detained shall not give rise to any tax.
7. No one may be sentenced to perpetual or infamous punishment. Punishment
involving restriction of liberty may not exceed thirty years .
8. No one may be tried for the same acts by virtue of which he has been
tried previously.
9. No one may be the object of forced recruitment or subjected to military
service except in terms regulated by law.
10. Measures of social interest against dangerous persons may be taken
only by fulfilling the conditions and formalities established by law. Such
measures shall in all cases be directed toward the re-adaptation of the
person to life in society.
Article 61. Discrimination based on race, sex, creed, or social condition
shall not be permitted.
Documents of identification for civil transactions shall contain no
descriptive mention of filiation.
No official form of address shall be used other than "citizen" and "you"
except in diplomatic formulas.
Titles of nobility or hereditary distinction shall not be recognized .

Article 62. The home is inviolable. It may not be broken into except to
prevent the perpetration of a crime or to carry out, in accordance with the
law, decisions of the courts.
Sanitary inspections which are to be made in conformity with the Law may be
undertaken only after prior notice from the officials who order than or who
are to make them.

Article 63. Correspondence in all its forms is inviolable. Letters,
telegrams, private papers, and any other means of correspondence may not be
seized except by judicial authority, with the legal formalities fulfilled
and secrecy always maintained respecting domestic and private affairs that
have no relation to the proceeding concerned. Books, receipts, and
accounting documents may be inspected or audited only by competent
authorities, in conformity with the law.

Article 64. All persons may travel freely through the national territory,
change their domicile or residence, leave and return to the Republic, bring
their property into the country or take it out, with no other limitations
then those established by law. Venezuelans may enter the country without the
necessity of any authorization whatever. No act of the Public Power may
impose the penalty of banishment from the national territory against
Venezuelans, except as commutation of some other punishment and at the
request of the guilty party himself.

Article 65. All persons have the right to profess their religious faith and
to practice their religion privately or publicly, provided that it is not
contrary to the public order or morals .
Worship shall be subject to the supreme inspection of the National
Executive, in conformity with the law.
No one may invoke religious beliefs or disciplines in order to avoid
complying with the laws or to prevent another from exercising his rights.

Article 66. All persons have the right to express their thoughts by the
spoken word or in writing and to make use of any means of dissemination,
without prior censorship; but statements which constitute offenses are
subject to punishment, according to law.
Anonymity is not permitted. Likewise, propaganda for war, that which offends
public morals, and that for the purpose of inciting disobedience of the laws
shall not be permitted, but this shall not preclude analysis or criticism of
legal precepts.

Article 67. All persons have the right to present or address petitions to
any public entity or official concerning matters that are within their
competence, and to obtain an appropriate reply.

Article 68. All persons may make use of the agencies of the administration
of justice to protect their rights and interests, under the terms and
conditions established by law, which shall set rules that ensure the
exercise of this right by anyone who does not have sufficient means.
Defense is an inviolable right at every stage and step of a trial.

Article 69. No one may be judged except by his natural judges or sentenced
to a punishment not established by a pre-existing law.

Article 70. All persons have the right of association for lawful ends, in
conformity with the law.

Article 71. Everyone has the right to meet with others, publicly or
privately, without previous permission, for lawful ends and without arms.
Meetings in public places shall be governed by law.

CHAPTER IV

Social Rights Article 72. The State shall protect associations, corporate
bodies, societies, and communities that have as their purpose the better
fulfillment of the aims of human beings and of social life, and shall
promote the organization of cooperatives and other institutions devoted to
improving the economy of the people.

Article 73. The State shall protect the family as the fundamental nucleus of
society, and shall see to the betterment of its moral and economic
situation.
The law shall protect marriage, shall promote the organization of the
unattachable family patrimony, and shall provide means of helping every
family to acquire comfortable and hygienic housing.

Article 74. Motherhood shall be protected, regardless of the civil status of
the mother. The measures necessary to ensure to every child, without
discrimination of any kind full protection, from his conception until he is
full-grown, so that his development may take place under favorable material
and moral conditions, shall be enacted.

Article 75. The law shall provide means of enabling every child, regardless
of his filiation, to know his parents so that they may fulfill their duty of
aiding, feeding, and educating their children, and so that infancy and youth
may be protected against abandonment, exploitation, or abuse.
Filiation by adoption shall be protected by law. The State shall share with
the parents, in a subsidiary manner and in the light of the resources of the
latter, the responsibility incumbent on them in the rearing of children.
The assistance and protection of minors shall be the object of special
legislation and of special agencies and courts.

Article 76. All persons have a right to the protection of health. The
authorities shall see to the maintenance of public health and shall provide
the means of prevention and care for those who lack them.
All persons are obliged to submit to health measures established by law,
within the limits imposed by respect for the human person.

Article 77. The State shall strive to improve the living conditions of the
rural population.
The law shall establish the special system required for the protection of
Indian communities and their progressive incorporation into the life of the
Nation.

Article 78. All persons have a right to an education. The State shall create
and maintain schools, institutions, and services sufficiently endowed to
ensure an access to education and to culture, with no other limitations than
those deriving from vocation and aptitudes.
Education provided by public institutions shall be free at all levels.
However, the law may establish exceptions with respect to higher and special
education, where persons with means are concerned.

Article 79. Any natural or juridical person may freely devote himself to the
arts or sciences, and, upon demonstrating his capacity, establish
professorships and educational establishments under the supreme inspection
and supervision of the State.
The State shall stimulate and protect private education that is provided in
accordance with the principles contained in this Constitution and the laws.

Article 80. Education shall have as its aim the full development of the
personality, the formation of citizens filled for life and for the exercise
of democracy, the promotion of culture, and the development of a spirit of
human solidarity.
The State shall guide and organize the educational system to achieve the
aims set forth here.

Article 81. Education shall be entrusted to persons of recognized morality
and proven fitness for teaching, according to law.
The law shall guarantee to teachers occupational security and a work system
and standard of living in accord with their elevated mission.

Article 82. The law shall determine what professions require a degree and
what conditions that must be met to practice them. Membership in a
professional association is compulsory for the practice of university
professions so designated by law.

Article 83. The State shall promote culture in its diverse forms and shall
see to the protection and conservation of works, objects, and monuments of
historical or artistic value found within the country, and shall seek to
have them used for the promotion of education.

Article 84. All persons have a right to work. The State shall seek to enable
every fit person to obtain employment that will provide him with a worthy
and decent living.
Freedom of labor shall not be subject to any other restrictions than those
established by law.

Article 85. Labor shall be the object of special protection. The law shall
provide whatever is necessary to improve the material, moral, and
intellectual conditions of workers. Workers may not renounce provisions
established by law to help or protect them.

Article 86. The law shall limit the maximum length of the work day. Except
as specially provided for, the normal duration of work shall not exceed
eight hours a day or forty-eight hours a week, and for night work, in those
cases in which this is permitted, it shall not exceed seven hours a day or
forty-two hours a week.
All workers shall be entitled to a remunerated weekly day of rest and to
paid vacations in conformity with the law.
A progressive reduction in the work day shall be promoted, within the social
interest and in such spheres as are decided upon, and appropriate provisions
shall be made for better utilization of leisure time.

Article 87. The law shall provide means conducive to obtaining fair wages;
it shall establish standards to ensure to every worker at least a minimum
wage; it shall guarantee equal wages for equal work, without discrimination
of any kind; it shall fix the share in the profits of enterprises that
should belong to workers; and it shall protect wages and social benefits by
making them unattachable in the proportion and cases specified and by any
other privileges and guarantees that it may establish.

Article 88. The law shall adopt measures directed toward guaranteeing
employment security and shall establish benefits to compensate workers for
seniority of service and to protect them in case of unemployment.

Article 89. The law shall determine the responsibility incumbent on a
natural or juridical person for whose benefit a service is rendered through
an intermediary or contractor, without prejudice to the joint and several
liability of the latter.

Article 90. The law shall favor the development of collective labor
relations and shall establish appropriate regulations for collective
negotiations and the peaceful solutions of disputes. Collective contracts
shall be supported and the union clause may be included in them, under the
conditions prescribed by law.

Article 91. Unions of workers and of employers shall not be subject to any
other requirements, for existence and operation than those established by
law for the purpose of ensuring a better accomplishment of their proper
functions and of guaranteeing the rights of their members. The law shall
specifically protect in their employment the promoters and leaders of labor
unions during the time and under the conditions required for ensuring union
freedom.

Article 92. Workers have a right to strike, under conditions fixed by law.
In public services this right shall be exercised in such cases as the law
may determine.

Article 93. Women and minor workers shall receive special protection.

Article 94. A system of social security to protect all inhabitants of the
Republic against work accidents, illness, disability, old age, death,
unemployment, and any other risks that can be covered by social security,
and also against the burdens deriving from family life, shall be
progressively developed.

Persons who lack financial means and are not in a position to obtain them
shall have the right to social assistance until they are incorporated into
the social security system.

CHAPTER V
Economic Rights

Article 95. The economic system of the Republic shall be based on principles
of social justice that ensure to all a decent existence useful to the
community.
The State shall promote economic development and the diversification of
production, in order to create new sources of wealth, to raise the income
level of the population, and to strengthen the economic sovereignty of the
country.

Article 96. All persons may freely engage in the lucrative activity of their
choice, with no other limitations than those provided in this Constitution
and those established by law for safety, health, or other reasons of social
interest.
The Law shall enact standards to prevent usury, undue price increases, and,
in general, abusive maneuvers directed toward obstructing or restricting
economic freedom.

Article 97. Monopolies shall not be permitted. Only exclusive concessions
for a limited period may be granted, in conformity with the law, for the
establishment and exploitation of works and services of public interest.
The State may reserve to itself particular industries, exploitations, or
services of public interest, for reasons of national advantage, and shall
promote the creation and development of a basic heavy industry under its
control.
The law shall decide matters concerning industries promoted and directed by
the State.

Article 98. The State shall protect private initiative, without prejudice to
its power to enact measures for planning, rationalizing, and promoting
production and for regulating the circulation, distribution, and consumption
of wealth, in order to stimulate the economic development of the country.

Article 99. The right to own property is guaranteed. By virtue of its social
function property shall be subject to such taxes, restrictions, and
obligations as the law may establish for purposes of public utility or the
general interest

Article 100. Rights in scientific, literary, and artistic works, inventions,
trade, names, trademarks, and slogans shall be entitled to protection for
the time and under the conditions indicated by law.

Article 101. The expropriation of any kind of property may be declared only
for reasons of public benefit, by final judgment and the payment of fair
compensation. In the expropriation of real property for purposes of agrarian
reform or the expansion and improvement of towns, and in such cases as the
law may determine for serious reasons of national interest, payment may be
deferred for a specified time or partially settled by the issuance of bonds
of compulsory acceptance, with sufficient guarantee.

Article 102. Confiscation may not be decreed or executed except in the cases
permitted by article 250. Exempt from this, with respect to foreigners, are
measures accepted by international law.

Article 103. Lands acquired for purposes of exploration or exploitation of
mining concessions, including hydrocarbons and other combustible minerals,
shall revert to full ownership by the Nation, without indemnity of any kind,
when the pertinent concession is terminated for any reason.

Article 104. Railways, highways, pipelines, and other means of communication
or transportation constructed by enterprises exploiting natural resources
shall be at the service of the public, under the conditions and with the
limitations established by law.

Article 105. The system of latifundium is contrary to the social interest.
The law shall order measures conducive to its elimination, and shall
establish rules directed toward granting land to rural workers and
inhabitants who lack it, and toward providing them with the means necessary
for making it productive.

Article 106. The State shall attend to the protection and conservation of
the natural resources within its territory, and their exploitation shall be
directed primarily toward the collective benefit of Venezuelans.

Article 107. The law shall establish rules relative to the participation of
foreign capital in national economic development

Article 108. The Republic shall favor Latin American economic integration.
To this end it shall strive to coordinate resources and efforts to promote
economic development and increase the common well-being and security.

Article 109. The law shall regulate the formation, organization, and powers
of the advisory bodies deemed necessary to hear the opinions of private
economic sectors, the consuming public, organizations of workers,
professional associations, and the universities, in matters of interest to
economic life.

CHAPTER VI
Political Rights

Article 110. Voting is a right and a public function. Its exercise shall be
compulsory, within the limits and conditions established by law.

Article 111. All Venezuelans who have reached eighteen years of age and who
are not subject to civil interdiction or political disqualification are
voters.
Voting in municipal elections may be extended to foreigners, under such
residence and other requirements as the law may establish.

Article 112. Voters who can read and write and who are over twenty-one years
of age may be elected to and are fit to hold public office, with no other
restrictions than those established in this Constitution and those deriving
from the requirements of fitness prescribed by law for holding particular
positions.

Article 113. The electoral legislation shall ensure the freedom and secrecy
of the vote, and shall recognize the right of proportional representation of
minorities.
Electoral bodies shall be composed in such a way that no political party or
group predominates, and their members shall be entitled to the privileges
established by law to ensure independence in the performance of their
functions.
Competing political parties shall have the right of oversight of the
electoral process.

Article 114. All Venezuelans qualified to vote have a right to associate in
political parties in order to participate, by democratic methods, in the
guidance of national policy.
Law makers shall regulate the formation and activities of political parties
in order to ensure their democratic character and to guarantee their
equality before the law.

Article 115. Citizens have a right to demonstrate peacefully and without
arms, with no other requirements than those established by law.

Article 116. The Republic recognizes asylum in behalf of any person who is
the object of persecution or is in danger for political reasons, under the
conditions and requirements established by law and by the standards of
international law.

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TITLE IV
THE PUBLIC POWER

CHAPTER I
General Provisions

Article 117. The Constitution and the laws define the powers of the Public
Power, and their exercise must be subject thereto.

Article 118. Each of the branches of the Public Power has its own functions,
but the organs on which their exercise is incumbent shall collaborate with
one another in the accomplishment of the aims of the State.

Article 119. Any usurped authority is without effect and its acts are null
and void.

Article 120. Any decision arrived at by direct or indirect resort to force
or by a meeting of individuals with subversive intent is null and void.

Article 121. The exercise of the Public Power carries with it individual
liability for abuse of power or for violation of the law.

Article 122. The law shall establish an administrative career by setting
standards for the entry, advancement, transfer, suspension, and retirement
of employees in the National Public Administration, and shall provide for
their incorporation into the social security system.
Public employees are at the service of the State, not at that of any
political faction.
Every public official or employee is obligated to comply with the
requirements established by law for holding his position.

Article 123. No one may hold more than one remunerated public position at
the same time, except for academic, temporary, welfare, teaching,
aldermanic, or electoral positions specified by law. The acceptance of a
second position not exempted by this article implies resignation from the
first, except in those cases provided for in article 141 or where the
position is as an alternate who does not definitively replace the principal.

Article 124. No one in the service of the Republic, of the States, of the
Municipalities, or of any other public juridical person may make a contract
with them, either directly or through an intermediary or in representation
of another, with such exceptions as may be established by law.

Article 125. No public official or employee may accept offices, honors, or
compensation from foreign governments without prior authorization from the
Senate.

Article 126. Without the approval of Congress no contract involving the
national interest may be entered into, except those that are necessary for
the normal conduct of the public administration or those permitted by law.
In no case may new concessions of hydrocarbons or other natural resources
specified by law be granted unless the Chambers in joint session, duly
informed by the National Executive as to all pertinent circumstances, so
authorize, under the conditions they fix, with no waiver there-by of the
fulfillment of legal formalities.
Likewise, no contract involving the national, state, or municipal interest
may be entered into with foreign states or public agencies, or with
companies not domiciled in Venezuela, or be transferred to them, without the
approval of Congress.
The law may require particular conditions as to nationality, domicile, or
others, or may require special guarantees, in contracts involving the public
interest.

Article 127. In contracts involving the public interest, unless their nature
renders it inappropriate, a clause shall be considered incorporated, even if
not expressly stated, whereby any questions and disputes which may arise
concerning such contracts and which are not amicably settled by the
contracting parties shall be decided by the competent courts of the
Republic, in accordance with its laws, and may not for any reason or cause
give rise to foreign claims.

Article 128. International treaties or conventions concluded by the National
Executive must be approved by a special law in order to be valid, unless
they concern the execution or consummation of pre-existing obligations of
the Republic, the application of principles expressly recognized by it, the
execution of ordinary acts in international relations, or the exercise of
powers which the law expressly confers on the National Executive. However,
the Delegated Committee of Congress may authorize the provisional execution
of international treaties or conventions whose urgency so requires, and
these are to be submitted in all cases to the subsequent approval or
disapproval of Congress.
In all cases, the National Executive shall report to Congress, at its next
sessions, all international juridical agreements entered into, with a
precise indication of their nature and contents, whether subject to its
approval or not.

Article 129. In international treaties, conventions , and agreements
concluded by the Republic, a clause shall be inserted whereby the parties
bind themselves to decide by peaceful means recognized by international law
or previously agreed upon by them, if such is the case, all controversies
that may arise between the parties by reason of their interpretation or
execution, if this is not inappropriate and if the procedure to be followed
in concluding so permits.

Article 130. Since the Republic possesses the Right of Ecclesiastical
Patronage, this will be exercised according to law. However, treaties or
conventions may be concluded to regulate relations between the Church and
the State.

Article 131. Military and civilian authority may not be exercised
simultaneously by a single official, except by the President of the
Republic, who shall be, by reason of his office, Commander in Chief of the
National Armed Forces.

Article 132. The National Armed Forces form a non-political, obedient, and
non-deliberative institution, organized by the State to ensure the national
defense, the stability of democratic institutions, and respect for the
Constitution and the laws, the observance of which shall always be above any
other obligation. The National Armed Forces shall be at the service of the
Republic, and in no case at that of any person or political faction.

Article 133. Only the State may possess and use weapons of war. All those
that exist, that are manufactured, or are imported into the country shall
become the property of the Republic, without compensation or proceedings.
The manufacture, trade, possession, and use of other weapons shall be
regulated by law.

Article 134. The States and Municipalities may organize only police forces,
in accordance with the law.

Article 135. The constitutional terms of the National Power shall be five
years, except by special provision in this Constitution. The terms of the
state and municipal public powers shall be by national law and may not be
less than two years or more than five.

CHAPTER II

Competence of the National Power

Article 136. The following are within the competence of the National Power:

1. The international relations of the Republic;
2. The protection and supreme oversight of the general interests of the
Republic, the preservation of the peace, and the just application of the
laws throughout the national territory;
3. The flag, coat of arms, hymn, holidays, decorations, and honors of a
national character;
4. The naturalization, admission, extradition, and expulsion of
foreigners;
5. The identification and national police services;
6. The organization and government of the Federal District and of the
Federal Territories and Dependencies;
7. The monetary system and the circulation of foreign currencies;
8. The organization, collection, and control of taxes on income, capital,
and estates and gifts; of levies on .imports and for registration and fiscal
stamps, and those on the production and consumption of goods which the law
reserves in whole or in part to the National Power, such as those on
alcohol, liquors, cigarettes, matches, and saltworks; those on mines and
hydrocarbons; and all other taxes, excises, and revenues not attributed to
the States or Municipalities which the law may create with a national
character;
9. The organization and operation of the customs;
10. The operation and administration of mines and hydrocarbons, saltworks,
unimproved lands, and oysterpearl beds; and the conservation, development,
and utilization of forests, waters, and other natural resources of the
country.
The National Executive may, in conformity with the law, sell, lease, or
make free grants of unimproved lands; but saltworks may not be alienated and
mining concession may not be granted for an indefinite period.
The law shall establish a system of special appropriations for the benefit
of States within whose territory the property mentioned in this numbered
paragraph is located, without prejudice to the possibility of it also
establishing other special appropriations for the benefit of other States.
In all cases these appropriations shall be subject to the standards on
coordination provided for in article 229 of this Constitution.
Unimproved lands on sea, river, or lake islands may not be alienated, and
concessions for their use may be granted only in a manner that does not
involve, directly or indirectly, a transfer of the ownership of the land,
11. The organization and mode of operation of the National Armed Forces;
12. The system of weights and measures;
13. The national census and statistics;
14. The establishment, coordination, and unification of technical
standards and procedures for engineering, architectural, and urban
development works;
15. The execution of public works of national interest;
16. The directives end bases for national education;
17. The technical direction, the establishment of administrative
standards, and the coordination of services for protection of public health.
The law may provide for the nationalization of these public services in
accordance with the collective interest;
18. The conservation and stimulation of agricultural, fishery, and forest
production;
19. The promotion of low-cost housing;
20. Matters relating to land transportation, to air, maritime, river, and
lake navigation, and to wharves and other port works;
21. The opening and maintenance of national means of communication; aerial
traction cables and railways, even if located within the boundaries of a
State, with the exception of urban streetcars or cable cars, the concession
and regulation of which are within the jurisdiction of the respective
Municipalities;
22. The mails and telecommunications;
23. The administration of justice and the creation, organization, and
competence of the courts; the Public Ministry;
24. Legislation regulating the guarantees conferred by this Constitution;
civil, commercial, criminal, penitentiary and, procedural legislation;
legislation on elections; legislation on expropriation by reason of public
or social utility, that on public credit; that on intellectual, artistic,
and industrial property; agrarian legislation; that on immigration and
settlement; that on tourism; that on labor, welfare, and social security;
that on animal and plant health; that on notaries and public registers; that
on banks and other institutions of credit; that on lotteries, racetracks,
and betting in general; and that concerning all matters within the national
competence;
25. Any other matter which the present Constitution assigns to the
National Power or which pertains to it by its nature or kind.
Article 137. Congress, by a vote of two thirds of the members of the
Chamber, may assign to the States or Municipalities particular matters
within the national competence, in order to promote administrative
decentralization.

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TITLE V
THE NATIONAL LEGISLATIVE POWER

CHAPTER I

General Provisions

Article 138. The Legislative Power is exercised by Congress, which is
composed of two Chambers: the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies .
The Senate and Chamber of Deputies shall meet in joint session in those
cases indicated in this Constitution and the laws, and to enact the
regulations for Congress or whenever both Chambers so decide because they
consider it necessary.
The President of the Senate and the President of the Chamber of Deputies
shall preside over Congress as President and Vice President respectively.
The regulations shall establish the manner of filling their temporary or
occasional absences.
The Delegated Committee of Congress and all other Committees formed by the
Chambers shall perform the functions given to them by this Constitution and
the regulations.

Article 139. Congress shall legislate on matters within the national
competence and on the functioning of the different branches of the National
Power.
It is the privilege of Congress to decree amnesties, which it shall do by
special law.
Congress also exercises control of the National Public Administration within
the terms established by this Constitution.

Article 140. The following may not be elected Senators or Deputies:

1. The President of the Republic, the Ministers, the Secretary to the
President of the Republic, and the President and Director of autonomous
institutes until three months after total separation from their posts;
2. The Governors and Secretaries of Government of the States, the Federal
District, and Federal Territories until three months after total separation
from their posts, if the representation corresponds to their jurisdiction,
or while in office if another jurisdiction is concerned; and
3. National, state, or municipal officials and employees and those of
autonomous institutes or of enterprises in which the State has a deciding
participation, if the election will take place in the jurisdiction where
they serve, except in cases of temporary, electoral, welfare, teaching, or
academic positions, or of legislative or municipal representation.
The law may establish the ineligibility of certain electoral officials .
Article 141. Senators and Deputies may accept posts as Minister, Secretary
to the President of the Republic, Governor, chief of diplomatic mission, or
President of an Autonomous Institute, without losing their office.
To hold them they must withdraw from the pertinent Chamber, but may rejoin
it upon leaving those functions. The acceptance of different mandates by
popular election, in cases permitted by law does not authorize holding them
simultaneously.

Article 142. Senators or Deputies may not be held liable at any time for
votes cast or opinions expressed in the exercise of their functions. They
shall be liable only to the pertinent body in accordance with this
Constitution and the regulations.

Article 143. Senators and Deputies shall enjoy immunity from the date on
which they are proclaimed elected until twenty days after the end of their
term or their resignation, and consequently they may not be arrested,
detained, confined or subjected to criminal trial, search of their person or
home, or restrained in the performance of their functions.
In case of flagrante delicto of a serious nature committed by a Senator or
Deputy, the competent authority shall place him in custody at his residence
and immediately notify the pertinent Chamber or the Delegated Committee of
the fact, with a duly detailed report. This measure shall cease if within a
period of ninety-six hours the pertinent Chamber or the Delegated Committee
does not authorize his remaining in that situation until a decision is
reached on the search and seizure.
Public officials or employees who violate the immunity of Senators and
Deputies incur criminal liability and be punished according to law.

Article 144. The court that hears accusations or complaints against any
member of Congress shall undertake the necessary indictment proceedings and
transmit them to the Supreme Court of Justice for the purposes of section 2
of article 215 of this Constitution. If the Court rules that there are
grounds for continuation of the case, the trial shall not be held until the
search and seizure are first approved by the respective Chamber or the
Delegated Committee.

Article 145. The Chamber or the Delegated Committee may not agree to the
search and seizure except at a session expressly convoked, at least
twenty-four hours in advance, and by a considered decision approved by an
absolute majority of the members.

Article 146. In cases in which the search and seizure have been approved by
the Delegated Committee, the pertinent Chamber may revoke it at its sessions
immediately following.

Article 147. Parliamentary immunity is suspended for a Senator or Deputy
while he is holding a public office that involves separation from the
Chamber or while he is on leave of absence for a time exceeding twenty days,
provided that the summoning of his alternate is in order according to the
regulations.
Alternates shall enjoy immunity while representing their principals, from
the time they are summoned until twenty days after the representation
ceases.

CHAPTER II

The Senate

Article 148. To form the Senate two Senators shall be elected from each
State by universal and direct vote and two from the Federal District, plus
any additional Senators resulting from the application of the principle of
representation of minorities as established by law, which shall also
determine the number and manner of election of alternates.
Also members of the Senate are those citizens who have held the Presidency
of the Republic by popular election or have held it, in accordance with
article 187 of this Constitution, for more than half a term, unless they
have been convicted of an offense committed in the performance of their
functions.

Article 149. To be a Senator a person must be a Venezuelan by birth and over
thirty years of age.

Article 150.The powers of the Senate a

1. To initiate the discussion of bills relating to treaties and
international agreements;
2. To authorize the National Executive to alienate real property from the
private domain of the Nation, with such exceptions as the law may establish;
3. To authorize public officials or employees to accept posts, honors, or
recompense from foreign governments;
4. To authorize the use of Venezuelan military missions abroad or of
foreign missions within the country, at the request of the National
Executive;
5. To authorize the promotion of officers of the Armed Forces from Colonel
or Naval Captain inclusive;
6. To authorize the President of the Republic to leave the national
territory;
7. To authorize the appointment of the Attorney General of the Republic
and the chiefs of permanent diplomatic missions;
8. To authorize, by vote of a majority of its numbers, the trial of the
President of the Republic following a ruling by the Supreme Court of Justice
that there are grounds therefor. If the trial is authorized, the President
of the Republic is suspended from office .
9. To grant to illustrious Venezuelans who have rendered eminent services
to the Republic the honors of the National Pantheon, when twenty-five years
have elapsed since their death;
10. Any others assigned to it in this Constitution or the laws.
CHAPTER III

The Chamber of Deputies

Article 151. To form the Chamber of Deputies the number of Deputies
determined by law according to the required population base, which may not
exceed one percent of the total population of the country, shall be elected
by universal and direct vote and with proportional representation of
minorities.
The law shall fix the number and manner of election of alternates .
At least two Deputies shall be elected in each State.

Article 152. In order to be a Deputy a person must be a Venezuelan by birth
and over twenty-one years of age.

Article 153. The powers of the Chamber of Deputies a

1. To initiate the discussion of the budget and of any bill concerning the
system of taxation;
2. To adopt a vote of censure of the Ministers.
A motion of censure may only be discussed two days after it is presented
to the Chamber, which may decide, by two thirds of the Deputies present,
that the vote of censure includes removal of the Minister. It may, in
addition, order his trial;
3. Any others assigned to it in this Constitution and the laws.
CHAPTER IV

Common Provisions

Article 154. The regular sessions of the Chambers shall begin, without the
necessity of prior convocation, on March 2 of each year or the most
immediately subsequent day possible and shall last until the following July
6. These regular sessions shall resume each year from October 1, or the most
immediately subsequent day possible, until November 30, both inclusive. In
the last year of a constitutional term the regular session shall last from
March 2 until August 15. In any case, the Chambers in joint session, by a
vote of an absolute majority of their members, may prolong these periods,
when necessary, for the dispatch of pending matters.

Article 155. Congress shall meet in special sessions to deal with matters
stated in the convocation and others connected therewith. It may also
consider those declared to be urgent by either Chamber.

Article 156. The requirements and procedures for the installation and other
sessions of the Chambers, and for the functioning of their Committees, shall
be determined by the regulations.
A quorum may in no case be less than an absolute majority of the members of
each Chamber.

Article 157. The Chambers shall open and close simultaneously, and they must
meet in the same town. Any difference that may arise between them shall be
resolved in joint session, by the vote of an absolute majority of those
present.

Article 158. The following are exclusive powers of each of the legislative
bodies:

1. To issue its regulations and apply such sanctions as are established
therein against those who infringe them. The temporary removal of a Senator
or Deputy may be approved only by a two-thirds vote of those present;
2. To rule on the qualifications of its members and take cognizance of
their resignations;
3. To organize its police services;
4. To remove obstacles that may prevent the exercise of its functions;
5. To approve and execute its budget of expenses on the basis of the
annual item fixed in the pertinent law;
6. To execute and order the execution of resolutions concerning its
functioning and the exclusive powers previously enunciated.
Article 159. Acts of the legislative bodies in the exercise of their
exclusive powers shall not be subject to the veto, examination, or control
of the other powers, except as provided in this Constitution concerning the
abuse of powers.

Article 160. The legislative bodies or their Committees may undertake any
investigation they dean advisable, in conformity with the regulations.
All officials of the public administration and of the autonomous institutes
are obligated, under penalty of such sanctions as are establish by law, to
appear before them and to furnish such information and documents as are
required for the fulfillment of their functions.
This obligation is also incumbent on private individuals, except as limited
by the rights and guarantees established by this Constitution.
In all cases the interested party shall be notified of the purpose of his
summons at least forty-eight hours in advance.

Article 161. Exercise of the power of investigation to which the preceding
article refers does not affect the authority appertaining to the Judicial
Power in accordance with this Constitution and the laws.
Judges shall be obligated to adduce evidence for which they receive a
request from the legislative bodies.

CHAPTER V

Enactment of laws

Article 162. Acts approved by the Chambers as co-legislative bodies shall be
termed laws. Laws which systematically assemble the rules relating to a
given subject may be termed Codes.

Article 163. Organic laws are those which are so designated by this
Constitution and those which are invested with this character by an absolute
majority of each Chamber when the pertinent bill is introduced there.
Laws which are enacted on matters governed by organic laws shall be subject
to the norms of the latter.

Article 164. Bills may be introduced in either Chamber, except those which
by special provision of this Constitution must necessarily be introduced in
either the Senate or the Chamber of Deputies .

Article 165. The initiative for bills appertains to:

1. The Delegated Committee of Congress or the Permanent Committees of
either Chamber;
2. The National Executive;
3. Senators and Deputies numbering not less than three;
4. The Supreme Court of Justice, when the laws concerned relate to
judicial organization or procedures;
5. Not less than twenty thousand voters, identified according to law.
Article 166. Every bill shall have at least two discussions in each Chamber,
on different days and in full Chamber, in accordance with the rules
established in this Constitution and in their respective regulations.

Article 167. When a bill is approved in one of the Chambers it shall be sent
to the other. If the latter approves it without amendments, it becomes
sanctioned as law. If it approves it with amendments it shall return it to
the Chamber of origin.
If the Chamber of origin accepts the amendments, it is thereby sanctioned as
law. Otherwise, the Chambers in joint sessions shall decide by majority vote
what is to be done with the articles on which there are discrepancies and
those having a connection with them, and they may agree on a text different
from that adopted by either Chamber. When the differences have been settled,
the Presidency shall declare the law sanctioned.

Article 168. A bill approved by one Chamber may be approved by the other in
a single discussion if declared urgent by two thirds of its members.

Article 169. Bills rejected may not be considered again in either Chamber
during the sessions of the same year, unless presented by an absolute
majority of one of them.
The discussion of bills that are pending at the end of one session may be
continued in the following sessions if so decided by the pertinent Chamber.

Article 170. In the discussion of laws relating to judicial organization and
procedure, Ministers have the right to voice in the discussion of laws. A
Magistrate of the Supreme Court of Justice designated by the latter for that
purpose has the same right.

Article 171. The text of laws shall obey the following formula:
"The Congress of the Republic of Venezuela, Decrees".

Article 172. As soon as a law is sanctioned it shall be issued in duplicate
in the final text resulting from the discussions. Both copies shall be
signed by the President, the Vice President, and the Secretaries of
Congress, and shall bear the date of final approval. For purposes of
promulgation, one of these copies shall be sent by the President of Congress
to the President of the Republic.

Article 173. The President of the Republic shall promulgate the law within
ten days after the date of receipt, but within that period he may, with the
approval of the Council of Ministers, ask Congress for its reconsideration,
by means of an explanatory statement in order that certain provisions may be
amended or its sanction of all or part of the law be withdrawn.
The Chambers in joint session shall decide on the points raised by the
President of the Republic and may write a new text for the provisions
objected to and those connected with them.
When a decision has been adopted by two-thirds of those present, the
President of the Republic shall proceed with the promulgation of the law
within the five days following its receipt, and he may not offer new
comments.
When the decision has been reached by simple majority, the President of the
Republic may choose between promulgating the law and returning it to
Congress within the same five-day period for a new and final
reconsideration. The decision of the Chamber in joint session is definitive,
even if by simple majority, and the promulgation of the law must be made
within the five days following its receipt.
In any case, if the objection is based on unconstitutionality, the President
of the Republic may, within the period fixed for promulgating of a law, have
recourse to the Supreme Court of Justice, requesting its decision as to the
alleged unconstitutionality. The Court shall decide within a period of ten
days, counted from the date of receipt of the communication from the
President of the Republic. If the Court denies the claim of
unconstitutionality, or does not decide within the aforementioned period,
the President of the Republic must promulgate the law within five days after
the decision of the Court or the expiration of that period .

Article 174. A law shall become promulgated upon being published with the
corresponding "Cúmplase" (a formula of approval) in the Official Gazette of
the Republic.

Article 175. Whenever the President of the Republic does not promulgate a
law within the periods indicated, the President and Vice President of
Congress shall proceed with its promulgation, without prejudice to any
liability incurred by the President of the Republic for his omission. In
such cases the promulgation of the law be made in the Official Gazette of
the Republic or in the Gazette of Congress.

Article 176. The time period for the promulgation of a law approving an
international treaty, convention, or agreement is left to the discretion of
the National Executive, in conformity with international usage and the
convenience of the Republic.

Article 177. Laws may be repealed only by other laws, and they may be
amended wholly or in part. A law which has been partially amended shall be
published in a single text which incorporates the amendments approved.

CHAPTER VI

The Delegated Committee of Congress

Article 178. While the Chambers are in recess there shall function a
Committee composed of the President, Vice President, and twenty-one members
of Congress who, with their respective alternates, shall be elected in a
manner that reflects as far as possible the political composition of the
Congress. The pertinent regulations shall establish the manner and time of
electing the Delegated Committee and its internal operation.

Article 179.The Powers of the Delegated Committee of Congress are :

1. To ensure the observance of the Constitution and respect for citizens'
guarantees and to adopt far these purposes such measures as may be called
for;
2. To exercise the functions of investigation invested in the legislative
bodies;
3. To designate special committees consisting of members of Congress ;
4. To convoke Congress into special session when the importance of a
matter so demands;
5. To authorize the National Executive, by a favorable vote of two thirds
of its members, to create, modify, or abolish public services, in case of
proven urgency;
6. To authorize the National Executive to decree credits outside the
Budget;
7. To authorize the President of the Republic to leave the national
territory temporarily;
8. Any others conferred on it by this Constitution and the laws .
Article 180. The Delegated Committee shall report its actions to Congress .

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TITLE VI
THE NATIONAL EXECUTIVE POWER

CHAPTER I

The President of the Republic

Article 181. The Executive Power is exercised by the President of the
Republic and any other officials determined by this Constitution and the
laws.
The President of the Republic is the chief of State and of the National
Executive.

Article 182. To be elected President of the Republic a person must be a
Venezuelan by birth, over thirty years of age, and a layman.

Article 183. The election of the President of the Republic shall be by
universal and direct vote, in conformity with the law. The candidate who
obtains a relative majority of votes shall be proclaimed elected.

Article 184. No one may be elected President of the Republic who is holding
the Presidency at the time of an election or has held it for more than one
hundred days in the immediately preceding year, or his relatives within the
third degree of consanguinity or second of affinity.
Likewise, no one who is holding the position of Minister, Governor, or
Secretary to the Presidency of the Republic on the day of his becoming a
candidate or at any time between that date and the election may be elected
President of the Republic.

Article 185. Anyone who has occupied the Presidency of the Republic for a
constitutional term or for more than half thereof may not again be President
of the Republic or perform that office within the ten years following the
termination of his mandate.

Article 186. The elected candidate shall assume the office of President of
the Republic by taking an oath before the Chambers meeting in joint session
within the first ten days in which they are to inaugurate their regular
sessions for the year in which a constitutional term begins. If for any
reason he is unable to take the oath before the Chambers in joint session,
he shall do so before the Supreme Court of Justice. Whenever the
President-elect does not take office within the period provided for in this
article, the outgoing President shall resign his powers before the person
called upon to replace him provisionally in case of absolute vacancy, in
accordance with the following article, who shall exercise them as Chargé of
the Presidency of the Republic, until the President-elect assumes the post.

Article 187. Whenever there is an absolute vacancy before the
President-elect takes office, a new universal and direct election shall be
held on the date set by the Chambers in joint session. If the absolute
vacancy occurs after the assumption of office, the Chambers shall, within
the next thirty days, proceed to elect a new President, by secret vote and
in joint session, for the remainder of the constitutional term. In this case
the provisions of article 184 shall not apply.
In either case, until a new President is elected and assumes office, the
Presidency shall be occupied by the President of Congress; if there is none,
by the Vice President of Congress and, in his default, by the President of
the Supreme Court of Justice.

Article 188. Temporary absences of the President of the Republic shall be
filled by a Minister designated by the President himself and, in his
default, by the person called upon to fill an absolute vacancy in accordance
with the preceding article. If the temporary absence is prolonged for more
than ninety consecutive days, the Chambers in joint session shall decide
whether an absolute vacancy should by considered to exist.

Article 189. The President, or whoever is acting in his stead, may not leave
the national territory without authorization from the Senate or from the
Delegated Committee. Nor may do so without such authorization within the six
months following the date on which he leaves office.

CHAPTER II

Powers of the President of the Republic

Article 190. The powers and duties of the President of the Republic a

1. To enforce this Constitution and the laws;
2. To appoint and remove the Ministers;
3. To exercise, as Commander in Chief of the National Armed Forces, the
highest-ranking authority over them;
4. To fix the size of the National Armed Forces;
5. To direct the foreign affairs of the Republic and make and ratify
international treaties, conventions, or agreements;
6. To declare a state of emergency and order the restriction or suspension
of guarantees in the cases provided for in this Constitution;
7. To adopt measures necessary for the defense of the Republic, the
integrity of its territory, and its sovereignty, in the event of
international emergency;
8. To enact extraordinary measures in economic or financial matters
whenever the public interest so requires and he has been authorized to do so
by special law;
9. To convoke Congress into extraordinary session;
10. To regulate the laws in whole or in part, without altering their
spirit, purpose, or sense;
11. To order, in case of proven emergency during a recess of the creation
and funding of new public services, or the modification or abolition of
those in existence, with the authorization of the Delegated Committee;
12. To administer the National Public Finances;
13. To negotiate national loans;
14. To decree credits outside the Budget, with the authorization of the
Chambers in joint session, or of the Delegated Committee ;
15. To make contracts in the national interest permitted by this
Constitution and the laws;
16. To appoint, with the authorization of the Senate or of the Delegated
Committee of Congress, the Attorney General of the Republic and the heads of
permanent diplomatic missions;
17. To appoint and remove the Governor of the Federal District and the
Federal Territories;
18. To appoint and remove, in accordance with the law, those national
officials and employees whose appointment is not vested in some other
authority;
19. To assemble in convention any or all of the Governors of the federal
entities for better coordination of the plans and tasks of the public
administration;
20. To submit to Congress, personally or through one of the Ministers,
special reports and messages;
21. To grant pardons;
22. Any others assigned to him in this Constitution or the laws. The
President of the Republic shall exercise in Council of Ministers the powers
enumerated in sections 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, and 15 and those which he
is empowered by law to exercise in the same manner.

Acts of the President of the Republic, with the exception of those mentioned
in sections 2 and 3 of this article, must be countersigned by the
appropriate Minister or Ministers in order to be valid.

Article 191. Within the first ten days following the installation of
Congress in regular sessions, the President of the Republic, personally or
through one of the Ministers, shall present each year to the Chambers
meeting in joint session a Message in which he shall give an accounting of
the political and administrative aspects of his actions during the
immediately preceding year. In this Message the President shall set forth
the features of the plan for the economic and social development of the
Nation.
The Message corresponding to the last year of a constitutional term must be
presented within the first five days following the installation of Congress.

Article 192. The President of the Republic is liable for his acts, in
conformity with this Constitution and the laws.

CHAPTER III

The Ministers

Article 193. The Ministers are the direct agents of the President of the
Republic, and together comprise the Council of Ministers. The President of
the Republic shall preside over meetings of the Council of Ministers, but he
may designate a Minister to preside whenever he is unable to attend. In this
case, the decisions taken shall not be valid unless they are confirmed by
the President of the Republic. An organic law shall determine the manner and
organization of the Ministries and their respective competence, and also the
organization and functioning of the Council of Ministers.

Article 194. The President of the Republic may appoint Ministers of State
without assigning them a specific department. In addition to participating
in the Council of Ministers and advising the President of the Republic on
such matters as he entrusts to them, the Ministers of State may take charge
of matters assigned to them by law.

Article 195. To be a Minister a person must be a Venezuelan by birth, over
thirty years of age, and a layman.

Article 196. Ministers are liable for their acts, in conformity with this
Constitution and the laws, even when they act under the express orders of
the President. Ministers who when present shall be jointly and severally
liable for decisions of the Council of Ministers, with the exception of
those who have made known their adverse or negative vote.

Article 197. Each Minister shall present to the Chambers in joint session,
within the first ten days of a regular session, a reasoned and adequate
report on the actions of his Department during the immediately preceding
calendar year and on its plans for the following year. He shall also present
an accounting of the funds he has managed. The reports corresponding to the
last year of a constitutional term must be presented within the first five
days following the installation of Congress.

Article 198. No pronouncement of the legislative bodies concerning the
reports or accounts shall free a Minister from liability for the acts of his
Department. In any case, and as long as prescription has not taken effect,
they may undertake an investigation and examination of those acts, even if
they pertain to previous fiscal periods.

Article 199. Ministers have the right to voice in the Chambers and in their
Committees, and they are obligated to attend them when called upon to report
or to answer interpellations.

CHAPTER IV

The Office of the Attorney General of the Republic

Article 200. The Office of the Attorney General of the Republic shall be
under the responsibility and direction of the Attorney General of the
Republic, with the collaboration of such other officials as the law
determines.

Article 201. The Attorney General of the Republic must have the same
qualifications as those required of a Magistrate of the Supreme Court of
Justice, and shall be appointed by the President of the Republic with the
authorization of the Senate.
If during a recess of the Chambers an absolute vacancy occurs in the post of
Attorney General of the Republic, the President of the Republic shall make a
new appointment with the authorization of the Delegated Committee of
Congress. Temporary and occasional absences shall be filled in the manner
determined by law.

Article 202. The functions of the Attorney General of the Republic a

1. To represent and defend the patrimonial interests of the Republic
judicially or extrajudicially;
2. To render opinions in the cases and with the effects indicated in the
laws;
3. To give legal advice to the National Public Administration;
4. Any others attributed to him by law.
All legal advisory services of the National Public Administration shall
collaborate with the Attorney General of the Republic in the performance of
his functions, in the manner determined by law.

Article 203. The Attorney General of the Republic may attend, with the right
to voice, meetings of the Council of Ministers when called upon by the
President of the Republic.

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TITLE VII
THE JUDICIAL, POWER AND THE PUBLIC MINISTRY

CHAPTER I

General Provisions

Article 204. The Judicial Power is exercised by the Supreme Court of Justice
and by such other courts as the organic law determines .

Article 205. In carrying out their functions judges are autonomous and
independent of the other organs of the Public Power.

Article 206. Jurisdiction in matters of administrative law is vested in the
Supreme Court of Justice and in such other Courts as the law determines.
The organs of the administrative-law jurisdiction are competent to annul
general or individual administrative acts that are contrary to law,
including misuse of power; to issue judgments requiring the payment of sums
of money and the redress of damages originating in administrative liability;
and to order whatever is necessary for the reinstatement of subjective
juridical situations injured by administrative activity.

Article 207. The law shall provide whatever conduces to the establishment of
a judicial career and to ensuring the fitness, stability, and independence
of judges, and shall establish rules relating to the competence,
organization, and functioning of the Courts insofar as this is not provided
for in this Constitution.

Article 208. Judges may not be removed or suspended from office except in
such cases and according to such procedure as the law determines .

Article 209. All other authorities of the Republic shall offer judges the
collaboration they may require for the proper performance of their
functions.

Article 210. The law shall determine matters relating to inspection of the
functioning of the Courts, the means for attending to their functional and
administrative needs, and the organization of auxiliary judicial services,
all without impairing the autonomy and independence of judges.

CHAPTER II

The Supreme Court of Justice

Article 211. The Supreme Court of Justice is the highest Tribunal of the
Republic. No recourse of any kind will be heard or admitted against its
decisions.

Article 212. The Supreme Court of Justice shall function in Divisions, the
composition and competence of which shall be determined by law. Each
Division shall have at least five Magistrates.

Article 213. To be a Magistrate of the Supreme Court of Justice a person
must be a Venezuelan by birth, a lawyer, and over thirty years of age.
In addition to these qualifications, the organic law may require practice of
the legal profession, a judgeship, or university teaching of legal subjects
for a specified time.

Article 214. Magistrates of the Supreme Court of Justice shall be elected by
the Chambers in joint session for terms of nine years, but they shall be
renewed by thirds every three years. Alternates shall be appointed in the
same manner to fill absolute vacancies among the Magistrates; temporary or
occasional vacancies shall be filled in the manner determined by law.

Article 215. The powers of the Supreme Court of Justice a

1. To declare whether or not there are grounds for the trial of the
President of the Republic or persons acting in his stead, and, if there are,
to continue trying the case, with the authorization of the Senate, until
final sentence is issued;
2. To declare whether or not there are grounds for the trial of members of
Congress or of the Court itself, of the Ministers, the Prosecutor General,
the Attorney General, or the Comptroller General of the Republic, the
Governors, or the chief of diplomatic missions of the Republic, and, if
there are, to transmit the case to the competent regular Court, if a common
offense, or continue trying the case until final sentence if a political
offense, except as provided in Article 144 with respect to members of
Congress.
3. To declare the total or partial nullity of national laws and other acts
of the legislative bodies that conflict with this Constitution;
4. To declare the total or partial nullity of state laws, municipal
ordinances, and other acts of the deliberative bodies of the States and
Municipalities that conflict with this Constitution;
5. To settle any conflicts that may exist between different legal
provisions and declare which of them is to prevail;
6. To declare the nullity of regulations and other acts of the National
Executive when they violate this Constitution;
7. To declare the nullity of administrative acts of the National Executive
whenever this is appropriate;
8. To settle controversies in which one of the parties is the Republic or
a State or Municipality, when the other party is also one of these entities,
except for controversies between Municipalities in the same State, in which
case the law may provide that the case be heard by another Court;
9. To decide conflicts of competence between Courts, either regular or
special, when there is no other higher court common to them;
10. To hear cases in cessation;
11. Any others conferred on it by law.
Article 216. The powers enumerated in sections 1 to 6 of the preceding
article shall be exercised by the full Court. Decisions shall be rendered by
an absolute majority of all Magistrates.
The organic law may grant the powers enumerated in sections 2, 3, 4, 5, and
6 to a Federal Division presided over by the President of the Court and
composed of Magistrates who have competence in administrative-law matters,
in number not less than two representatives of each of the other Divisions.

CHAPTER III

The Council on the Judiciary

Article 217. The pertinent organic law shall create a Council on the
Judiciary, the organization and powers of which it shall fix for the purpose
of ensuring the independence, efficiency, discipline, and decorum of the
Courts and of guaranteeing the benefits of a judicial career to judges.
Adequate representation on it must be given to the other branches of the
Public Power.

CHAPTER IV

The Public Ministry

Article 218. The Public Ministry shall oversee the strict observance of the
Constitution and the laws, and shall be in charge and under the direction
and responsibility of the Prosecutor General of the Republic, with the help
of such officials as the organic law determines.

Article 219. The Prosecutor General of the Republic must have the same
qualifications as those of Magistrates of the Supreme Court of Justice, and
shall be elected by the Chambers in joint session within the first thirty
days of each constitutional term. In the event of an absolute vacancy in the
post of Prosecutor General, a new election shall be held for the remainder
of the constitutional term. Temporary and occasional absences of the
Prosecutor General of the Republic, and the interim vacancy before an
absolute vacancy is filled, shall be filled in the manner determined by law.

Article 220. The powers of the Public Ministry a

1. To see to it that constitutional rights and guarantees are respected.
2. To see to it that the administration of justice is swift and smooth and
that the courts of the Republic apply the laws fairly in criminal trials and
those that concern the public order and good morals ;
3. To bring criminal actions in cases in which a petition by a party is
not necessary to initiate and prosecute them, without prejudice to the right
of courts to act directly when the law so provides;
4. To see to the correct enforcement of the laws and the guarantee of
human rights in jails and other prison establishments;
5. To initiate such actions as may be appropriate to enforce civil,
criminal, administrative, or disciplinary liability incurred by public
officials in carrying out their functions; and
6. Any others conferred on it by law.
The powers given to the Public Ministry shall not impair the exercise of
the rights and actions pertaining to private individuals or to other
officials in accordance with this Constitution and the laws.
Article 221. The authorities of the Republic shall give to the Public
Ministry whatever collaboration it may require for the proper performance of
its functions.

Article 222. The Prosecutor General of the Republic shall present a report
of his activities to Congress annually, within the first thirty days of its
regular sessions.

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TITLE VIII
THE PUBLIC FINANCES

CHAPTER I

General provisions

Article 223. The system of taxation shall seek a fair distribution of
burdens in accordance with the economic capacity of the taxpayer, based on
the principle of progressivity and also the protection of the national
economy and the raising of the standard of living of the people.

Article 224. No tax or other contribution may be collected that is not
established by law, and no exemptions or exonerations from them may be
granted except in the cases provided for in such a law.

Article 225. No tax payable in personal services may be established .

Article 226. A law which establishes or amends a tax or other contribution
must fix a period of time before it is to take effect. If this is not done,
it may not take effect until sixty days after it has been promulgated.
This provisions does not limit the extraordinary powers which are granted to
the National Executive in the cases provided for in this Constitution.

Article 227. No expenditure shall be made from the National Treasury that
has not been provided for in the Budget Law. Credits additional to the
budget may be decreed only for necessary expenditures not provided for or
for which the items were insufficient, and only if that the Treasury has the
funds to meet the expenditure. For this purpose a favorable vote of the
Council of Ministers and the authorization of the Chambers in joint session
or, if in recess, of the Delegated Committee shall be prerequisite.

Article 228. The National Executive shall submit the proposed Budget Law to
Congress at the time indicated in the organic law. The Chambers may alter
budgetary items but may not authorize expenditures that exceed the amount of
estimated revenues in the proposed Budget.

Article 229. The Budget Law shall include annually, with the name
"allotment," an item which is to be distributed among the States, the
Federal District, and the Federal Territories in the following manner:
thirty percent (30%) of the amount in equal parts and the remaining seventy
percent (70%) to be divided in proportion to the population of each of the
Entities mentioned. This item shall not be less than twelve and a half
percent (12.5%) of the total estimated ordinary revenues in the budget, and
this minimum percentage shall be increased annually and consecutively, and
you're not reading this, are you, you moron, cause you were just mouthing
off about wanting to read about other countries, isn't that true, beginning
with the budget for 1962, by at least one half percent (0.5%) until it
reaches a definitive minimum of fifteen percent (15%). The pertinent organic
law shall determine the share corresponding to municipal entities under this
allotment.
The law may enact rules to coordinate the expenditure of this allotment with
administrative plans developed by the National Power, and may set limits on
the emoluments to be received by officials and employees of federal and
municipal entities.
In the event of a decrease in revenues that requires a readjustment of the
Budget, the allotment will be readjusted proportionally.

Article 230. Autonomous institutes may be created only by law, and in
conformity with the pertinent organic law.
Autonomous institutes and the State interest in corporate bodies or entities
of any nature shall be subject to the control of Congress, in the manner
established by law.

Article 231. Loans may be contracted only for income-producing works, except
in case of obvious national necessity or advantage.
Public credit operations shall require, in order to be valid, a special law
which authorizes them, with only such exceptions as are established in the
organic law.

Article 232. The State shall recognize no other obligations than those
contracted by legitimate organs of the National Power, in accordance with
the laws.

Article 233. The provisions which govern the National Public Finances shall
govern the Public Finances of the States and Municipalities insofar as they
are applicable.

CHAPTER II

The Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic

Article 234. The Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic is
entrusted with the monitoring, supervision, and auditing of the national
revenues, expenditures, and assets, and of operations related to them.
The law shall determine the organization and functioning of the Office of
the Comptroller General of the Republic, and the occasions, nature, and
scope of its intervention.

Article 235. The functions of the Office of the Comptroller General of the
Republic may be extended by law to the autonomous institutes, and also to
the state or municipal administrations, without impairing the autonomy which
is guaranteed to them by this Constitution.

Article 236. The Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic is an
auxiliary organ of Congress in its function of monitoring the Public
Finances, and shall enjoy junctional autonomy in exercising its powers.

Article 237. The Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic shall
function under the direction and responsibility of the Comptroller General
of the Republic.
To be Comptroller General of the Republic a person must be a Venezuelan by
birth, over thirty years of age, and a layman.

Article 238. The members in joint session shall elect the Comptroller
General of the Republic within the first thirty days of each constitutional
term.
In the event of an absolute vacancy in the post of Comptroller General of
the Republic, the Chambers in joint session shall conduct a new election for
the remainder of the constitutional term.
Temporary and occasional absences of the Comptroller General of the
Republic, and the interim vacancy before an absolute vacancy is filled,
shall be filled in the manner determined by law.

Article 239. The Comptroller General of the Republic shall present to
Congress annually a report of the activities of his Office or concerning the
Account or Accounts that have been presented to Congress by agencies and
officials required to do so. He shall also present such reports as may be
requested by Congress or the National Executive at any time.

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TITLE IX
EMERGENCY

Article 240. The President of the Republic may declare a state of emergency
in the event of internal or external conflict or whenever there exists good
cause that either may occur.

Article 241. In case of emergency, of disorder that may disturb the peace of
the Republic, or of serious circumstances that affect economic or social
life, the President of the Republic may restrict or suspend the
constitutional guarantees, or some of them, with the exception of those
proclaimed in article 58 and in sections 3 and 7 of article 60.
The Decree shall state the grounds on which it is based, the guarantees that
are restricted or suspended, and whether it shall be in force in all or part
of the national territory.
The restriction or suspension of guarantees does not interrupt the
functioning or affect the prerogatives of the organs of the National Power.

Article 242. The Decree which declares a state of emergency or orders the
restriction or suspension of guarantees shall be issued in Council of
Ministers and submitted for consideration by the Chambers in joint session
or by the Delegated Committee, within the ten days following its
publication.

Article 243. The Decree of restriction or suspension of guarantees shall be
revoked by the National Executive, or by the Chambers in joint session, as
soon as the reasons for it have ended. Cessation of the state of emergency
shall be declared by the President of the Republic in Council of Ministers
and with the authorization of the Chambers in joint session or of the
Delegated Committee.

Article 244. If there is well-founded evidence for fearing imminent
disturbance of the public order which do not justify the restriction or
suspension of constitutional guarantees, the President of the Republic, in
Council of Ministers, may adopt the measures necessary to prevent such
events from occurring.
Such measures shall be limited to the detention or confinement of the
suspects, and must be submitted to the consideration of Congress or of the
Delegated Committee within the ten days following their adoption. If either
body declares them to be unjustified, they shall terminate immediately;
otherwise they may be maintained up to a limit of not more than ninety days.
The law shall regulate the exercise of this power.

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TITLE X

AMENDMENTS AND REFORM OF THE CONSTITUTION

Article 245. Amendments to this Constitution shall be made in the following
manner:

1. The initiative may come from one fourth of the members of one of the
Chambers, or from one fourth of the Legislative Assemblies of the States, by
decisions taken in not less than two discussions by an absolute majority of
the members of each Assembly;
2. The amendment shall be initiated in regular sessions, but action
thereon may continue in subsequent special sessions;
3. The bill containing the amendment shall be introduced in the Chamber
where it was proposed, or in the Senate if it was proposed by the
Legislative Assemblies, and it shall be discussed according to the procedure
established in this Constitution for the enactment of laws;
4. If the amendment is approved by Congress, its Presidency shall transmit
it to all the Legislative Assemblies for ratification or rejection in
regular sessions, by decisions considered in at least two discussions and
approved by an absolute majority of their members;
5. The Chambers meeting in joint session, in their regular session of the
following year, shall count the votes of the legislative Assemblies and
declare the amendment approved with respect to those points that have been
ratified by two thirds of the Assemblies;
6. Amendments shall be numbered consecutively and shall be published at
the end of the Constitution, without altering the text of the latter, but
with a footnote to the amended article or articles giving the number and
date of the amendment.
Article 246. This Constitution may also be subject to a general reform, in
accordance with the following procedu

1. The initiative must come from one third of the members of Congress, or
from an absolute majority of the Legislative Assemblies by decisions adopted
in at least two discussions by an absolute majority of the members of each
Assembly;
2. The initiative shall be transmitted to the Presidency of Congress,
which shall convoke the Chambers in joint session with at least three days'
advance notice, to decide whether it is in order. The initiative shall be
admitted by a two-thirds vote of those present;
3. If the initiative is admitted, discussion of the bill shall begin in
the Chamber indicated by Congress, and the procedure established in this
Constitution for the enactment of laws shall be followed;
4. The approved bill shall be submitted to referendum at a time fixed by
the Chambers in joint session so that the people may express themselves in
favor of or against the reform. The count of the votes will be communicated
to the Chambers in joint session, which shall declare the new Constitution
sanctioned if it is approved by a majority of the voters of the entire
Republic.
Article 247. Rejected initiatives of amendment or reform may not be
reintroduced during the same constitutional term.

Article 248. The President of the Republic may not veto amendments or
reforms and is obligated to promulgate them within the ten days following
their sanction. If he does not do so the provisions of article 175 shall
apply.

Article 249. The provisions relating to cases of urgency in the procedure
for the enactment of laws shall not be applicable to amendments and reforms
of the Constitution.

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TITLE XI
INVIOLABILITY OF THE CONSTITUTION

Article 250. This Constitution shall not lose its effect even if its
observance is interrupted by force or it is repealed by means other than
those provided herein. In such eventuality, every citizen, whether or not
vested with authority, has the duty to collaborate in the re-establishment
of its effective validity.

Those who are found responsible for the acts mentioned in the first part of
the preceding paragraph shall be tried in accordance with this Constitution
and laws enacted in conformity with it, as shall the principal officials of
governments subsequently organized if they have not contributed to the
re-establishment of its force and effect. Congress may decree, by decision
approved by an absolute majority of its members, the confiscation of all or
part of the property of such persons and of those who have been unlawfully
enriched under the protection,***** the usurpation, in order to indemnify
the Republic for the damages it has incurred.

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TITLE XII

FINAL PROVISIONS

Article 251. The transitory provisions are enacted in a separate text. They
have the validity of constitutional principles and are sanctioned by the
same formalities as those by which the present Constitution is adopted.
Their text shall not be subject to amendment except by the procedure
provided in Title X.

Article 252. The constitutional order that has been in effect up to the
promulgation of this Constitution is hereby repealed.

Done, signed, and sealed in the Federal Legislative Palace, in Caracas, on
the twenty-third day of January of nineteen hundred and sixty-one. 151st
year of Independence and 102nd year of the Federation.

TRANSITORY PROVISIONS

THE CONGRESS

OF THE REPUBLIC OF VENEZUELA

In conformity with the provisions of Article 251 of the Constitution and
having called for the vote of the Legislative Assemblies of the States of
Anzoategui, Apure, Aragua, Barinas, Bolivar, Carabobo, Cojedes, Falcon,
Guarico, Lara, Merida, Miranda, Monagas, Nueva Esparta, Portuguesa, Sucre,
Tachira, Trujillo, Yaracuy, and Zulia, and having seen the favorable result
of the voting, decrees the following

TRANSITORY PROVISIONS
OF THE CONSTITUTION

First. Until the laws provided for in Chapter IV of Title I of the
Constitution are enacted, the present municipal system and organization of
the Republic remains in force.

Second. Foreigners included in numerals 2 and 3 of Article 37 who become
twenty-five years of age within one year following the date on which this
Constitution takes effect may make the statement of desire within that
period.

Third. Until a law establishes the special facilities to which article 36 of
the Constitution refers, the acquisition of Venezuelan nationality by those
who by birth have the nationality of Spain or of a Latin American State
shall continue to be governed by the legal provisions row in effect.

Fourth. Until a law establishes the appropriate substantive and procedural
rules, the loss of nationality through revocation of naturalization shall be
subject to current provisions of law, but an interested party may appeal the
administrative decision to the Supreme Court of Justice within a period of
six months following the date of publication of the revocation in the
Official Gazette.

Fifth. The protection of personal liberty, until a special law is enacted to
govern it in conformity with the provisions of article 49 of the
Constitution, shall be done in accordance with the following rules:

Any person who becomes subject to deprivation or restriction of his liberty,
in violation of constitutional guarantees, has the right to ask the Judge of
First Instance in Criminal Matters who has jurisdiction at the place where
the action which has given rise to the request was taken or where the
aggrieved person is to be found, to issue a writ of habeas corpus.

When the request, which may be made by any person, is received, the Judge
shall immediately order the official in whose custody the aggrieved person
is held to report within twenty-hours hours as to the grounds for
deprivation or restriction of liberty, and shall initiate a summary
investigation.

The Judge shall decide, within a period of not more than ninety- six hours
after the request was submitted, on the immediate release of the aggrieved
or the cessation of the restrictions imposed, if he finds that the legal
formalities for deprivation or restriction of liberty were not met. The
judge may subject this decision to the granting of bail or prohibition of
departure from the country by the aggrieved person, for a period of not more
than thirty days, if he considers this necessary.

The decision issued by the Judge of First Instance shall be referred to the
Superior Court, to which the case must be sent on the same or the following
day. This referral shall not prevent the immediate execution of the
decision. The Superior Court shall render its decision within seventy-two
hours following the date of receipt of the case.

Sixth. Until ordinary legislation fixes the time limits and periods to which
the last paragraph of numeral 1 of article 60 of the Constitution refers,
police authorities who have employed preventive detention measures must
place the accused together with the action that has been taken, at the
disposition of the appropriate Court within a time limit of not more than
eight days, for purposes of summary proceedings. The examining Court must
decide, with respect to the detention, within a time limit of ninety-six
hours, except in serious and complex cases which require a longer time,
which in no case shall exceed eight days. Only police authorities who by law
are auxiliary officials of the Administration of Justice are empowered to
take the measures provided for in article 60 of the Constitution.

Seventh. The measures of banishment from the country adopted between January
23, 1958, and July 31, 1960, shall remain in effect until they are revoked
by the Executive Power or by decision of the Chambers in joint session, but
they may not be prolonged beyond the present constitutional term.

Persons subjected to deprivation or restriction of liberty for reasons of
public order must be set free or submitted to the Courts of the Republic
within a period of two months following the proclamation of the
Constitution.

Eighth. The provisions of the sole paragraph of article 148 of the
Constitution are declared applicable to the present President of the
Republic as soon as his term has expired and, as soon as this Provision
takes effect, to the citizen who constitutionally occupied the Presidency of
the Republic for the 1936-1941 term and to the citizen who was elected
President of the Republic by popular vote for the constitutional term which
began in 1948.

Ninth. Senators and Deputies who an the date of promulgation of the
Constitution are holding public offices not excepted in articles 123 and 141
of the Constitution may rejoin their respective Chambers during the course
of the next regular session.

Tenth. Until the law provides therefore, persons who have failed to comply
with the provisions of article 160 of the Constitution shall be subject to
the penalty provided in article 239 of the Penal Code .

If an official of the public administration or of an autonomous institute is
concerned, he shall also be removed from office.

Eleventh. Bills relating to international treaties and conventions and those
concerning the system of taxation which on the date of promulgation of this
Constitution are under consideration in the Chambers may continue to be
discussed even if the former were initiated in the Chamber of Deputies and
the latter in the Senate.

Twelfth. The Chambers, if are meeting on the date of promulgation of the
Constitution, or in subsequent regular or special session, shall, before
recessing, conduct the election in joint session of the Delegated Committee
provided for in article 175. Before conducting the election, the Chambers in
joint session shall enact the pertinent regulations.

Thirteenth. Whenever the law requires the authorization, approval, or
sanction of the National Congress for the validity of an act, the decision
shall be taken by the Chambers in joint session, unless from the very nature
of the act it appears that the procedure for the enactment of laws should be
followed.

Fourteenth. Judges shall continue to hold office for the term established in
the legislation in force.

However, the Judicial Council, without prejudice to its other legal powers,
may, within the year following the promulgation of the Constitution, remove,
following summary investigation, those who have been guilty of any serious
act affecting the dignity or decorum of the judiciary or who have shown
manifest incapacity or deficiency in carrying out their functions.

The designation of a new judge and his alternates shall be made according to
law.

Fifteenth. The present sitting Members of the Federal Courts and the Court
of Cassation shall comprise the Supreme Court of Justice for the remainder
of the present constitutional term. The Court shall be installed within
thirty days after the Constitution takes effect, and shall elect a President
and two Vice Presidents from among its members.

Until the Organic Law of the Supreme Court of Justice is enacted, the
following provisions shall govern: The Court shall function in three
autonomous Divisions, known as the Political- Administrative Division, the
Division of Civil, Commercial, and Labor Cassation, and the Division of
Penal Cassation. The first of these Divisions shall consist of the sitting
Members of the present Federal Court and shall have the powers conferred on
that body by current legislation, and those established by numerals 2 and 4
to 9 of article 215 of the Constitution; the other two Divisions shall be
composed of the sitting Members of the respective Divisions of the present
Court of Cassation and shall have the powers conferred on those bodies by
current law. The full Court shall have powers 1 and 3 of article 215 of the
Constitution.

The present alternates of the Federal Court shall fill absolute vacancies of
Magistrates of the Political-Administrative Division; and those of the Court
of Cassation, such vacancies of the Magistrates of the Cassation Divisions.

The installation of the Supreme Court of Justice shall be governed, insofar
as they are applicable, by the provisions of the Organic law of the Court of
Cassation. Action taken by the full Court and by the
Political-Administrative Division shall be governed, insofar as it is
applicable, by the Organic Law of the Federal Court, and that of the
Cassation Divisions, by the Organic Law of the Court of Cassation.

When the Magistrates are elected for the next constitutional term, the
Chambers shall indicate those who are to serve nine, six, and three years
respectively, for the purposes of article 214 of the Constitution.

The full Court shall settle any questions that may arise concerning the
application of the system called for in this provision, and shall also
settle those that may arise concerning the powers of the Prosecutor General
of the Republic and of the Attorney General of the Republic.

Sixteenth. The citizen elected to the post of Attorney of the Nation for the
present constitutional term shall continue to perform, with the title
Prosecutor General of the Republic, the functions conferred on the Public
Ministry by the Constitution until the end of that term. He shall likewise
perform the functions conferred by the Constitution on the Office of the
Attorney General of the Republic until the President of the Republic makes
the appointment provided for in article 201 of the Constitution. In the
latter case, both officials shall perform the functions respectively
conferred on them by the Constitution, in accordance with the laws in force,
insofar as they are applicable according to the individual nature of each
institution, until the appropriate organic laws are promulgated .

Seventeenth. The citizen elected to the post of Comptroller of the Nation
for the present constitutional term shall continue to perform, with the
title Comptroller General of the Republic, the functions conferred by the
Constitution on the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic.

Until an organic law provides therefor, the citizen elected to the post of
Assistant Comptroller of the Nation for the present constitutional term
shall continue to perform, with the title Assistant Comptroller of the
Republic, the functions assigned to him by law. Temporary or occasional
absences of the Assistant Comptroller shall be filled by an official from
the Office of the Comptroller named for the purpose by the Comptroller
General of the Republic. In case of absolute vacancy, the Chambers in joint
session or the Delegated Committee shall elect a person to replace him.

Eighteenth. Until an organic law fixes the time for the presentation of the
draft Budget Law, it shall be presented annually within the first fifteen
days of the regular sessions of the Chamber.

Nineteenth. The next constitutional term shall commence on March 2, 1964. On
that date the Chambers shall be installed. The inauguration of the President
of the Republic shall be conducted according to article 186 of the
Constitution. The election of the Magistrates of the Supreme Court of
Justice shall be held within the first thirty days after the beginning of
the constitutional term.

The terms of the present deputies to the Legislative Assemblies and members
of the Municipal Councils shall end on January 1, 1964, unless a law
provides for their renewal at an earlier date.

Twentieth. The property referred to in Decree No. 28 of February 6, 1958, of
the Governing Junta reverts to the national patrimony .

This measure includes all property of the person to whom the Decree
mentioned refers and that unlawfully held by persons who have been declared
intermediaries, in accordance with that Decree, before the promulgation of
the Constitution.

The Attorney General of the Republic shall take the measures necessary for
carrying out this provision, and the inventories he prepares shall serve as
title of ownership by the State of such property, for all legal purposes.

Twenty-first. There shall also revert to the national patrimony, to the
amount determined by the Investigating Committee provided for in the law
against unlawful Enrichment by Public Officials or Employees, the property
belonging to persons summoned before it for investigation up to the date of
promulgation of the Constitution and by reason of acts or occurrences prior
to January 23, 1958.

In its decision, which shall have the character of a permanent final
judgment, the Investigating Committee shall determine what property must
revert to the national patrimony in accordance with this provision and what
amounts shall remain owing to the National Exchequer from those who have
unlawfully enriched themselves to an amount greater than the value of the
property restored to the national patrimony. Interested parties may appear
before the Supreme Court of Justice, in the Political-Administrative
Division, within thirty consecutive days after publication of the decision,
to demonstrate the partial or complete lawfulness of their enrichment. The
Court shall examine and decide on the appeal in accordance with the
procedure established in article 25 of the Organic Law of the Federal Court.

The Committee shall decide the cases currently being investigated in
accordance with this provision within a period of three months counting from
the date on which the Constitution takes effect. This period may be
extended, in each case, by the Supreme Court of Justice, in its
Political-Administrative Division, upon grounded application by the
Investigating Committee.

The Attorney General of the Republic may also appeal to the Supreme Court of
Justice whenever he considers that a decision of the Investigating Committee
is contrary to the interests of the Republic .

Whenever by virtue of a decision of the Investigating Committee the
suspension of all or any of the preventive measures taken on property of a
person under investigation is in order, this suspension may not be carried
out except in the event that the Attorney General of the Republic has not
appealed to the Supreme Court of Justice within the period provided for in
this provision.

If the Supreme Court of Justice decides that there has been no unlawful
enrichment or that its amount is less than that estimated by the
Investigating Committee, it shall fix the amount to be returned to the
appellant to the extent that he was not unlawfully enriched and shall so
inform the National Executive in order that it may determine the manner and
time of payment, in accordance with article 16 of the Organic Law of the
National Finances. However, the Court may order that such payment be made,
wholly or in part, from property which belonged to the person investigated,
provided that its restitution is not contrary to the public or social
interest.

In each case the Committee shall also decide on the claims of third parties
asserting rights in rem to property covered by a decision and may order the
cumulation of actions pending in the Courts if it deems this advisable. Such
third parties may also appeal within thirty consecutive days to the Supreme
Court of Justice, in its Political-Administrative Division, to validate
their rights, and that body shall examine the claims pursuant to the article
25 cited above. If the claims of a third party are ruled in order, the
National Executive may provide for their payment in the manner and time it
shall specify or may authorize the delivery or auction of the property
claimed, without prejudice to the terms of this provision. The Committee may
declare simulated any transfers of property made by investigated persons
after December 1, 1957.

Property which was acquired by investigated persons before taking the
offices they held or before committing the acts which the measures are based
may be included in the decision of the Investigating Committee only if the
other property is not sufficient to cover the amount of the unlawful
enrichment, except as established in this provision with respect to property
of public or social interest.

The circumstance that judicial action has been taken against some of the
persons included under this provision shall not prevent its application.
Suits initiated in application of the provisions of the Law against Unlawful
Enrichment of Public Official or employees, against persons included under
the present transitory provision, shall be suspended and the cases shall be
transmitted to the Investigating Committee. The application of this
provision does not prevent the taking of criminal action for which there may
be grounds according to law.

For purposes of carrying out the measures regulated herein, the rule
contained in article 44 of the Constitution shall not apply, and both the
Investigating Committee and the Supreme Court shall be subject only to the
procedural provisions indicated here.

Twenty-second. Article 44 and the last part of article 42 of the Law against
the Unlawful Enrichment of Public Officials and Employees shall be
applicable to the persons to whom the eighteenth provision refers and to
those who have been unlawfully enriched according to decisions of the
Investigating Committee or the Supreme Court of Justice.

Twenty-third. The existing juridical system shall remain in effect unless it
is amended or repealed by the competent organs of the Public Power, or is
repealed expressly or by implication by the Constitution.

Done, signed, and sealed in the Federal Legislative Palace, in Caracas, on
the twenty-third day of January of nineteen hundred sixty-one. -151st year
of Independence and 102nd War of the Federation.

The President,
(L.S. ) Raul Leoni

The Vice-president,
(L.S.) Rafael Caldera
Oval Room of the Federal Palace, in Caracas, on the twenty-third day of
January of nineteen hundred and sixty-one. 151 year of the Independence and
102nd year of the Federation.

Be it carried out and enforced.

The President of the Republic,
(L.S.) Romulo Betancourt
THE CONGRESS
OF THE REPUBLIC OF VENEZUELA

Having requested the vote of the Legislative Assemblies of the States:
Anzoategui, Apure, Aragua, Barinas, Bolivar, Carabobo, Cojedes, Falcon,
Guarico, Lara, Merida, Miranda, Monagas, Nueva Esparta, Portuguesa, Sucre,
Tachira, Trujillo, Yaracuy, and Zulia, and having seen the favorable results
of the voting, decrees the following

AMENDMENT 1 OF THE CONSITUTION

Article 1 An amendment is hereby introduced in the Constitution, which shall
bear the number 1 and be worded as follows:

"No person who has been found guilty by the Ordinary Courts and given a
final sentence of confinement or imprisonment for a period of over three
years for crimes committed in the exercise of public office or as a
consequence of said person's public functions, may be elected President of
the Republic, Senator or Deputy to the Congress, or Magistrate of the
Supreme Court of Justice.

As agreed by the competent organisms, the only recourse shall be appealed
before the Supreme Court of Justice, en banc, brought by any qualified
voter. The Court shall make its decision within the ten days following
receipt of the request. There shall be only one hearing on the appeal."

Article 2. The text of the Constitution, followed by the approved Amendment,
shall be printed in its entirety and a reference to the number and date of
this amendment shall appear at the end of articles 149, 152, 182, and 213 in
the body of the text of the Constitution.

Done, signed, and sealed at the Federal Legislative Palace, in Caracas, on
the ninth day of May of nineteen hundred sixty-three. 164rd year of
Independence and 115th year of the Federation.

THE CONGRESS
OF THE REPUBLIC OF VENEZUELA

Having requested the vote of the Legislative Assemblies of the States:
Anzoategui, Apure, Aragua, Barinas, Bolivar, Carabobo, Cojedes, Falcon,
Guarico, Lara, Merida, Miranda, Monagas, Nueva Esparta, Portuguesa, Sucre,
Tachira, Trujillo, Yaracuy, and Zulia, and having seen the favorable results
of the voting, decrees the following

AMENDMENT 2 OF THE CONSTITUTION

Article 1. For elections of Members of Municipal Councils, a special
electoral system may be adopted that is different from that governing
elections of Senators, Deputies, and Members of the Legislative Assemblies.

For elections of the latter, a special system may also be decided upon that
is similar to or different from that stipulated for elections of municipal
counselors.

Article 2. Retirement and pension benefits shall be regulated by an Organic
Law to which all public officials and employees in the service of the
central or decentralized administration of the Republic, the States, or the
Municipalities shall be subject. More than one retirement or pension benefit
may be received only in cases expressly stipulated in that Law.

Article 3. In the first year of each constitutional term, Regular Sessions
of the Chambers shall begin, without the need for prior convocation, on
January 23 or the earliest possible date thereafter .

Article 4. The Chambers in joint session shall designate in each
constitutional term a legislative committee composed of twenty-three (23)
members, who with their respective alternates shall be elected in such a
manner as to reflect as far as possible the political composition of the
Congress of the Republic. The Rules of Procedure shall establish the
procedures and other requirements that shall govern the discussion of bills.

Article 5. The Chambers in joint session, at a meeting expressly convoked
for that purpose at least twenty-four (24) hours in advance, may authorize
the Legislative Committee to discuss and approve individually determined
bills, when agreed to by two thirds of the members present. Once each bill
has been approved by the Legislative Committee, the Committee shall send it
to the President of the Congress, who shall order the text distributed among
the members of both Chambers and shall convoke them to a joint session,
after fifteen (15) days have passed since it was received.

The Chambers, meeting in joint session, in accordance with the Notice of
Convocation, shall approve or reject any text submitted to them, and may
introduce any amendments they deem desirable. Once a Bill has been approved,
with or without amendments, the President shall declare it passed, and the
subsequent procedures stipulated for the formation of Laws shall be carried
out.

Article 6. The Chambers may meet and function with whatever number of their
members the Rules of Procedure may determine, but in no case fewer than one
third of their members. To take a vote, an absolute majority of the Members
of the Chambers must be present.

Article 7. During the first year of each constitutional term, the National
Executive shall present the general outlines of the plan for the social and
economic development of the country to the Chambers meeting in joint session
for approval. Such guidelines shall comply with the requirements stipulated
in the pertinent Organic Law.

Article 8. Transitory provisions. In the 1979-1984 constitutional term, the
length of the term of the President of the Republic and of the Senators and
Deputies shall be shortened by the number of days resulting from the
application of article 3. Likewise, for the purposes set forth in article
185 of the Constitution, the period shall be reduced by the number of days
resulting from the application of the above mentioned provision.

Article 9. Let the Constitution followed by the approved amendment be
printed in its entirety and let footnotes to articles 113, 122, 136, 139,
154, 156, 166, 167, 185, 227 and 231 of the text of the Constitution show
the number and date of this amendment. In addition, let the transitory
provisions of the Constitution that have not yet been implemented and
article 8 of this amendment be published.

Done, signed, and sealed at the Federal Legislative Palace in Caracas on the
eighteenth day of March of nineteen hundred eighty-three. 172nd year of
Independence and 124th year of the Federation.

Regards,

--

*Art

#**128** July 5th 03, 05:33 PM

The United States of Whatever and Freedom in the same sentance? PLEASE
You have a FAULSE sence of FREEDOM! Try going to Europe, many lightyears
advanced in areas concerning FREEDOM for the INDIVIDUAL.
You talking about COMPANY FREEDOM? I think so... Can't smoke marijuanna?
Can't do this or that?
All because Companys and Religious fanatics rule your lives, how sad...

#**129** July 5th 03, 05:34 PM

"Daemon Rose" wrote in message
news:d_pNa.105352$R73.12149@sccrnsc04...
All of our buildings are still standing... Yours?

Are you insinuating the Canadians were responsible for that, ****wit?

As your comment indicates, Canadians aren't smart enough to pull something
like that off. Even if they were though, America would have the Canadian
military (Canada does have a military, right?...LOL) on it's knees in
about
two hours, so keep laughing. Sounds like you've chuckled yourself right
into a stupor.

Snap out of it.

How quickly people forget unpleasant history... Minor things, like
Washington DC occupied and the capitol burning, for example.

--
*Art

#**130** July 5th 03, 05:41 PM

"Steve Trussing" wrote in message
...
x-no-archive: yes

So, where was the first computer and first personal computer invented,
and where did the Internet originate?

The United States of America.

The first computer was German. The second, third and fourth were British.
The *fifth* (or possibly sixth, if you count the Soviet/Czech attempt) was
American.

If you mean ARPANET, yes, that originated in the US. However, it had become
international (the UK and Norway connected to ARPANET in 1973) and
co-developed by non-Americans long before it became Internet.

Regards,
--
*Art

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