Hugo Chávez and The Impact of Socialismo del Siglo XXI

This thesis seeks to explain the reoccurring electoral success of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez in the context of Chávez‟s exposure in the media, specifically, by evaluating his weekly show, Aló Presidente, alongside public opinion data to further develop our understanding of the Bolivarian Revolution and Socialismo del Siglo XXI (21st Century Socialism). Public opinion data from international sources is utilized alongside regional and local surveys to account for any polarization in the reporting by data firms that may have been reflected in the data, otherwise. While the Constitución Bolivariana of 1999 offered an egalitarian, liberal-progressive construction on paper, it also broadly trengthened the Executive, which President Chávez has utilized in undercutting liberal democracy, funding communal programs at the expense of local government, aiding his party‟s clientilistic network, and ultimately consolidating personal political power. Comparing the stated ideals of 21st Century Socialism from the coded Aló Presidente transcripts with popular opinion data concerning the president‟s social Mission programs has led to the conclusion that Chávez is succeeding in selling Venezuelans on the necessity of the Bolivarian Missions programs, which may be a driving factor in his successes at the polls