President Chávez would concentrate the power on economic management

As a result of the 26 executive orders approved via enabling law, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez 'will have increasing, almost absolute, power in management of the country economy and finances, without any accountability or controls,' said lawyer Hermann Escarrá, an expert in constitutional matters. Escarrá thinks that the set of instruments collides with the Constitution. The Executive Office insists on reforms that were denied by most voters during a referendum held last December 2nd, 2007, in order to 'perpetrate the socialist reform by means that are not set forth in the Constitution.' The government, said the analyst, has 'fraudulently introduced the replacement of the free market system with a central planning system, which prevailed in the ex Soviet Union and is still in force in Cuba.' This is the case of the Economic and Social Plan (2007-2013) and the enactment of these decree-laws. The new Social Fund for Collection of Surplus from Public Administration Agencies will allow President Chávez 'to amass more money than ever, without any accountability whatsoever, or follow-up by some state inspection bodies. All the power for the president,' said the expert.