Dismantling Democracy in Venezuela: The Chávez Authoritarian ExperimentThis book examines the process of dismantling the democratic institutions and protections in Venezuela under the Hugo Ch vez regime. The actions of the Ch vez government have influenced similar processes and undemocratic maneuverings in Ecuador, Bolivia, and Honduras. Since the election of Hugo Ch vez as president of Venezuela in 1998, a sinister form of nationalistic authoritarianism has arisen at the expense of long established democratic standards.