Presidential leadership of Hugo Chavez: Resources and strategies in the exercise of power

The main objective of this paper is a descriptive historical analysis of Hugo Chavez  leadership  in his firsts years in office within a theoretical framework  which rests on the study of subjective and objective resources  the Bolivarian leader had in government action. In this sense, describes the first steps taken by Chavez during those years, paying attention on the style and  nature of presidential leadership  in the use of the resources available and obtained through the exercise of power.  Similarly, as seen from the use of available resources, the president of Venezuela achieved a significant expansion of social rights which allows to strengthen his  leadership against an opposition that is losing its resilience. This expansion of social rights simultaneously unfolds a process of restricting citizens' rights, but for the imaginary of the Venezuelan society do not seem to be an insurmountable contradiction. That is, in a rating scale, this extension of rights is greater than the restriction and becomes one of the componens of the strength of Chavez presidential leadership.

On the other hand, the article focus on the process of "policy presidentialisation" (Poguntke - Webb 2005) taking place in Venezuela and how it affects the political dynamics and the parties within low institutionalization representative presidential democracies (Ollier 2011). In this institutional design in which the centrality of leadership is central, this paper attempts to analyze how it affects the phenomenon of "policy presidentialisation" the party system, a president-opposition relations and governance nowdays takes place in this country.