Venezuela Celebrates Chavez’s 67th Birth Anniversary

On Wednesday, the Venezuelan people celebrate the 67th birth anniversary of Commander Hugo Chavez, who was the leader of the Bolivarian revolution and the country's President from 1999 to 2013.

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On February 4, 1992, Chavez and over 2,300 young soldiers rose against President Carlos Perez (1989-1993), who implemented neoliberal economic policies that worsened the people’s living conditions. The uprising failed, so Chavez spent two years in the San Francisco de Yare prison.

In 1994, he left prison as part of a political agreement between President Rafael Caldera (1994-1999) and leftist sectors. Chavez then founded the Movement for the Fifth Republic (MVR), a party with which he won the 1998 presidential elections.

Once in power, he called a constituent referendum that was approved by over 81 percent of the voters and resulted in the formation of the Bolivarian constitution. Chavez also promoted an agrarian reform against the landowners. Through this policy, over 10.2 million land hectares were placed under the management of socialist enterprises and farmers.

During his tenure, he also issued a new Hydrocarbons Law, which allowed Venezuela to exercise full sovereignty over its oil resources, and the Fisheries Law, which improved the working conditions of artisanal fishermen.