A/HRC/45/CRP.11 Presidential Decree and SC judgment upholding date constitutionality Excerpts of content of state of exception 24. Decree (No Number) Judgment No. 370 of of 6 November 22 November 2019 2019313 Extension 25. Decree No. 4090 of 5 Judgment No. 2 of 14 January 2020314 January 2020 Reiterating provisions of the previous states of exception 26. Decree No. 4194 of 4 NA May 2020315 Extension 141. In March 2020,316 as did many countries around the world, the President enact a state of emergency related to Covid-19, which was extended in May 2020317 and in June 2020.318 142. Before enacting the states of emergency and exception, President Maduro governed under two “enabling laws” enacted by the previous National Assembly, which the PSUV party still controlled.319 The second of these, the “Anti-Imperialist Enabling Law,” adopted in March 2015,320 conferred special powers to the President to dictate law and decrees for a period of six months. This followed the practice of former President Hugo Chávez governing under enabling laws issued by the National Assembly.321 Since the ruling party became the minority in the National Assembly, the President has relied upon states of exception and emergency to govern. 143. Of 67 political parties that had existed in December 2015, only 17 remained as of the time of the Presidential elections in 2018 (12 pro-Government and five opposition).322 Among those were the parties banned by the January 2018 decision of the Supreme Court due to their “double inscription” in their respective parties and the MUD 323 and those banned by the December 2017 decree of the National Constituent Assembly requiring parties to have participated in previous elections.324 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 Copy not publicly available. https://pandectasdigital.blogspot.com/2020/02/decreto-n-4090-mediante-el-cual-se.html. Published in the Official Gazette No. 6534 of 4 May 2020. Decree No. 4.160 published in the Official Gazette No. 6519, May 13 2020, available at: https://www.finanzasdigital.com/2020/03/gaceta-oficial-extraordinaria-n6-519-se-decreta-el-estadode-alarma-en-todo-el-territorio-nacional-por-epidemia-del-coronavirus-covid-19/. Decree No. 4.198 published in the Official Gazette No. 6.535, 12 May 2020, available at: https://pandectasdigital.blogspot.com/2020/05/decreto-n-4198-de-fecha-12-de-mayo-de.html. Decree No. 4.230 published in the Official Gazette No. 6.542, 11 June 2020, available at: https://pandectasdigital.blogspot.com/2020/06/decreto-n-4230-mediante-el-cual-se.html. The first of these, Government Order No. 6112 of 19 November 2013, authorized the President to legislate without restrictions. Anti-Imperialist Enabling Law, Published in Official Gazette No. 6178 of 15 March 2015. Including enabling laws published in Official Gazette No. 36.687 of 26 April 1999, published in Official Gazette No. 37,076 of 13 November 2000, published in Official Gazette No. 38.617 of 1 February 2007 and published in Official Gazette No. 6009 of 17 December 2010. See http://confirmado.com.ve/conozca-cuantas-leyes-habilitantes-se-han-aprobado-en-venezuela-en-losultimos-14-anos/. See Acceso a la Justica, Informe sobre la toma absoluta de poder, p. 26, available at: https://www.accesoalajusticia.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Informe-La-toma-absoluta-del-Poderen-Venezuela.pdf. See Press Release from Office of the Vice-President (no date), available at: http://vicepresidencia.gob.ve/tsj-ratifica-prohibicion-de-doble-militancia-en-partidos-politicos/. National Constituent Assembly, Constitutional Decree for the Participation on Electoral Processes, published in the Official Gazette No. 41.308, 27 December 2017, available at: https://www.sumate.org/documentos/41308_DECRETO_DE_LA_ANC.pdf (“Las organizaciones con fines políticos para participar en los procesos electorales nacionales, regionales o municipales deberán haber participado en las elecciones del periodo constitucional de ámbito nacional, regional o municipal inmediatamente anterior”). 37