Venezuela: no rule of law. Any doubt?

Things have gone much worse since 2005

The current Supreme Court President, Luisa Estella Morales, is a complete puppet of the Chávez government. Is there any doubt for anyone outside Venezuela?

She just declared - not for the first time, but now more clearly- that the Judicial Power is committed to the so-called Bolivarian socialism, together with some obvious things things she wanted to wrap that up with.

She is shamelessly violating at least two basic articles with that statement:

Article 2: Venezuela constitutes itself as a Democratic and Social State of Law and Justice, which holds as superior values of its legal order and actions those of life, liberty, justice, equality, solidarity, democracy, social responsibility and, in general, the preeminence of human rights, ethics and political pluralism

Article 6: The government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and of the political organs comprising the same, is and shall always be democratic, participatory, elective, decentralized, alternative, responsible and pluralist, with revocable mandates..

Ms Morales has shown many other times a complete disregard for the law she is supposed to represent. She declared the division of powers weakens the State and few even blinked.

What has the opposition leaders done? Just stated very vague criticisms to Morales. They seem to be afraid to quote clearly what she is violating and to call her for what she is: an irresponsible person. They seem afraid to say there is no longer rule of law in Venezuela.

How come? Diosdado Cabello, one of the most notorious boligarcs, threatened opposition deputies to expel them from the National Assembly if they said what Chavismo has been doing is "inconstitutional".

Our deputies are mixing up things. It is one thing what they did in 2005, when they did not take part in the elections. It is a very different one to speak up even if the Chávez goverment openly breaks the law once more and tries to exclude them from the National Assembly. I still hope they will react in the coming days with something more solid than what they had stated in the last days.

And what will the Organisation of American States do about this? Unfortunately, nothing. As long as virtually every neighbouring country is having a nice trade surplus with Venezuela, there is nothing they will do. Ethics is a complete non-issue here.

When it comes to business abroad, even the most "progressive" Latin American head of state will be completely devoid  of ethics. Mujica went to Venezuela to support the virtual oath-taking of Chávez and came home with a big deal to export more milk. Latin American leaders left and right remain silent at best or praise Chavismo as a way to secure better deals...Venezuela's economy goes to pot in the meantime as there are only so many petrodollars