Caracas Daily Journal (Jeremy Morgan): The Enabling Law went out at midnight on Thursday after President Hugo Chavez had put his signature to 26 decrees ahead of the looming deadline when his special powers expired.
Chavez unveiled his last four decrees only hours before the cut-off point. These set out laws for a state agricultural bank, "integral agricultural health," a national railroad system, and the promotion and development of the "popular economy."
Before that, he'd signed decrees on tourism, home loans, consumer interests, pensions, small- and medium-sized companies including "social production units," restructuring and simplifying social security and public administration, and changes at the Economic and Social Development Bank (Bandes).
Chavez shut down the Industrial Credit Fund (Foncrei). He recently remarked that he'd given up the idea of collectives and is thought to favor more conventional small firms. In the military sphere, the National Armed Forces (FAN) acquired the title of Bolivarian.
A string of decrees concerned promotions or confirmed the rank of individual members of the armed forces.
Nine new units of the military reserve corps were created. With the exception of the final four, all the new decrees were published on Friday in the Official Gazette. The special powers were voted into force by the National Assembly in February last year and were in effect for 18 months.
Chavez had used the Enabling Law to put 36 laws on the statute book without having to consult with, or submit proposals to, parliament. Whether Venezuela has seen the back of presidential special powers remains an open question. The Assembly, under the all but absolute dominance of the government, could vote in another Enabling Law.
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