age 15 and over can read and write total
population: 91.1% male: 91.8% female: 90.3% (1995 est.)

Government Venezuela

Country name: conventional long form: Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
conventional
Venezuela local long form:
Government type: federal republic

Capital: Caracas

Administrative divisions: 23 states (estados, singular - estado),
1 federal district* (distrito federal), and 1 federal dependency**
(dependencia federal); Amazonas, Anzoategui, Apure, Aragua, Barinas,
Bolivar, Carabobo, Cojedes, Delta Amacuro, Dependencias Federales**,
Distrito Federal*, Falcon, Guarico, Lara, Merida, Miranda, Monagas,
Nueva Esparta, Portuguesa, Sucre, Tachira, Trujillo, Vargas, Yaracuy,
Zulia note: the federal dependency consists of 11 federally controlled
island groups with a total of 72 individual islands

Independence: 5 July 1811 (from Spain)

National holiday: Independence Day, 5 July (1811)

Constitution: 30 December 1999

Legal system: based on organic laws as of July 1999; open, adversarial
court system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: President Hugo CHAVEZ Frias (since 3
February 1999); Vice President Jose Vicente RANGEL (since 28 April 2002);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Hugo CHAVEZ Frias (since 3 February 1999);
Vice President Jose Vicente RANGEL (since 28 April 2002); note - the
president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet:
CHAVEZ Frias reelected president; percent of vote - 60% elections:
held 30 July 2000 (next to be held NA 2006)

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional
(165 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms;
three seats reserved for the indigenous peoples of Venezuela) election
results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - pro-government
108 (MVR 92, MAS 6, indigenous 3, other 7), opposition 57 (AD 33,
COPEI 6, Justice First 5, other 13) elections: last held 30 July 2000
(next to be held NA 2005)

Judicial branch: Supreme Tribunal of Justice or Tribuna Suprema de
Justicia (magistrates are elected by the National Assembly for a single
12-year term)

Political parties and leaders: Democratic Action or AD [Claudio FERMIN];
Fifth Republic Movement or MVR [Garcia PONCE]; Homeland for All or PPT
[Jose ALBORNIZ]; Justice First [Julio