At stake in this election:

• The office of President of Venezuela

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Rafael CALDERA Rodriguez
• Head of Government: President Rafael CALDERA Rodriguez
• Assembly: Venezuela has a bicameral Congress of the Republic (Congreso de la Republica) consisting of the Senate (Senado) with 52 seats and the Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados) with 207 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by popular vote to serve a 6-year term.
• In the Senate (Senado), 48 members are elected by proportional representation to serve 5-year terms and 2 members are reserved . In the Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados) 207 members are elected by popular vote to serve 5-year terms.

Main Candidates in the Presidential race:

• Hugo Rafael Chavez Frias
  • Party: Movement for the Fifth Republic (MVR)
• Henrique Salas Romer
  • Party: Proyecto Venezuela
• Irene Lailin Saez Conde
  • Party: Integration, Representation and New Hope (IRENE)
• Luis Alfaro Ucero
  • Party: O.R.A.
• Other Candidates
  • Party: N/A

Last Presidential election:

• The last presidential elections were held on December 5, 1993. In this election, Rafael CALDERA Rodriguez received 30.45% of the vote and thus defeated Claudio FERMIN, his closest competitor with 23.59% of the vote.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 23,410,158 (November 1998 est,)
• Registered Voters: 10,959,530 ( 1998 )

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 11,722,481 (1998)

·         Is Venezuela a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (17 July 1980)

·         Has Venezuela ratified CEDAW: Yes (2 May 1983)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 27 (Chamber of Deputies); 5 (Senate) following the 1998 elections 

·         Human Development Index Position: 71 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Very Low (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Venezuela a signatory to CRPD: No

·         Has Venezuela ratified CRPD: Yes, accession (24 September 2013)

·         Population with a disability: 3,511,523 (est.)