President Maduro Commemorates 21st Anniversary of Hugo Chavez's Inauguration

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro commemorated on Sunday the 21st anniversary of the first inauguration of the leader of the Bolivarian Revolution, Hugo Chávez, as president of the South American nation.

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"On February 2 (1999), Comandante Chávez swore by the mandate of the people to transform Venezuela into a free and sovereign homeland," Maduro tweeted on Sunday.

During the swearing in as head of state, Chavez said he would promote "the democratic transformations necessary for the new republic to have a Magna Carta adequate to the new times."  

“I swear before God, I swear before the fatherland, I swear before my people that on this dying constitution, I will promote the democratic transformations necessary for the new republic to have a Magna Carta adequate to the new times. I swear," Chávez vowed to the people on his inauguration day.

These words would ring true as he helped transform the country through a constitutional process to reform the 1961 Constitution and lay the foundations for a new inclusive and leading social model, after winning the elections of December 6, 1998. 

After convening a referendum for the creation of the National Constituent Assembly (ANC), the consultation reflected 87 percent approval for the drafting of a new, more inclusive constitution .

With 71 percent of the votes, on December 15, 1999, the constitutional text that established a new social model of major transformations in the South American nation was approved.

"21 years later, we became an untamed force that will never stop the victorious march of the Bolivarian Revolution ," President Nicolas Maduro said on this day.

Furthermore, the Minister of Defense, Vladimir Padrino López, recalled this Sunday the historical moment in which Hugo Chávez was sworn in as President of the Republic.

In a message posted on Twitter, Padrino said: "21 years after the oath of the commander Chavez as a leader of the Republic! Historical milestone that marked the beginning of a renewal process by retaking the ideals of Bolivar and Zamora in search of true independence and the dignity of a people that returned to be protagonist of their destiny".

Chavez would go on to lead Venezuela for several years, paving the way for a new era in the Bolivarian Republic's history.