Rebuilding Venezuela’s collapsed national institutions requires a multi-dimensional approach that addresses the political, judicial, security, and economic foundations of the state. The sources outline several primary structural pillars necessary for this transition:
1. Political Architecture and Legal Continuity
The immediate priority is to fill the power vacuum by establishing a provisional government or "Council of State" to manage the transition until free and fair elections can be held.
• Constitutional Continuity: The transition must adhere to the 1999 Constitution while nullifying unconstitutional enabling laws and decrees issued by the illegitimate Constituent National Assembly (ANC).
• Dismantling the "Parallel State": The government must dissolve non-constitutional structures like "Protectorships" and "Communal State" bodies that were designed to bypass elected local authorities, thereby restoring power and budgets to governors and mayors.
2. Judicial Reform and Transitional Justice
To restore the rule of law, the judiciary must be transformed from an instrument of executive repression into an independent body.
• Supreme Court (TSJ) Renewal: Appointing a new, independent TSJ is a legal prerequisite for lifting sanctions and reviewing the constitutionality of economic reforms.
• Transitional Justice Statute: Experts propose a statute to vet lower-court judges and suspend those appointed through irregular processes.
• International Mechanisms: Because of deep criminal penetration, the sources suggest an International Commission against Impunity (CICI-V) to investigate grand corruption and dismantle illicit networks.
• Amnesty Framework: A "differentiated" amnesty is required, offering full amnesty for low-level administrative crimes to induce defections, while excluding perpetrators of crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute.
3. Re-Institutionalization of Security Forces
The state must reclaim its monopoly on violence by reforming the security apparatus.
• Military Vetting (Lustración): A transparent vetting process is needed for the high command to remove "ideological" leadership while retaining professional cadres.
• Dismantling Repressive Agencies: Agencies such as the DGCIM (Military Counterintelligence), SEBIN (National Intelligence), and the FAES (Special Action Forces) must be dissolved or profoundly restructured due to their involvement in torture and extrajudicial killings.
• Territorial Sovereignty: The state must reclaim the Orinoco Mining Arc from irregular groups like the ELN and FARC dissidents and implement a specialized Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) program for urban "colectivos".
4. Macroeconomic and Energy Transformation
Economic recovery is anchored in rehabilitating the energy sector and stabilizing the currency.
• Energy Reform: A new Organic Law of Hydrocarbons is proposed to allow for majority private ownership of oil fields, shifting PDVSA from a monopoly to a competing operator regulated by a new, independent Venezuelan Hydrocarbons Agency (AVH).
• Monetary Stability: The plan involves making the Central Bank (BCV) independent and potentially adopting a bi-monetary system or full dollarization to stop hyperinflation.
• Debt Restructuring: The government must execute Tolling Agreements to pause litigation and use "Exit Consents" to exchange defaulted bonds for new debt, incentivizing participation from creditors.
5. Social Reconstruction and Diaspora Engagement
Institutional health depends on addressing the humanitarian crisis and reintegrating the nearly 8 million citizens who fled the country.
• Depoliticization of Aid: Food distribution must transition from the corrupt CLAP system to Targeted Direct Assistance (TDA) via cash transfers or electronic vouchers.
• Infrastructure Decentralization: Restoring water and electricity requires ending state monopolies and allowing for regional public-private partnerships (PPPs).
• Diaspora Integration: Rebuilding human capital involves offering tax incentives for returning professionals, fast-tracking the recognition of foreign degrees, and ensuring the diaspora’s right to vote.
Think of rebuilding the Venezuelan state like restoring a massive, ancient dam that has suffered a catastrophic breach. You cannot simply patch the holes; you must first stabilize the surrounding ground (security and territorial control), drain the corrupted silt (judicial vetting), and redesign the internal turbines (energy and economic reform) to handle modern flow, all while ensuring the downstream communities are fed and cared for during the repairs.
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