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1947 Venezuelan general election

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General elections were held in Venezuela on 14 December 1947.[1] They resulted in a decisive victory for Democratic Action (AD). The party's presidential candidate, Rómulo Gallegos received 74.3% of the vote,[2] still the largest presidential win in Venezuela's modern history. AD also won supermajorities in both houses of Congress, with 83 of the 110 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 38 of the 46 seats in the Senate.

1947 Venezuelan general election
14 December 1947
Presidential election
← 1941
1958 →
 
Nominee Rómulo Gallegos Rafael Caldera
Party Democratic Action Copei
Popular vote 871,752 262,204
Percentage 74.35% 22.36%
President before election

Rómulo Betancourt
Democratic Action

 Elected President

Rómulo Gallegos
Democratic Action

These were the first national elections held in Venezuela since the 1945 coup. They were also the first free regular elections since independence in 1830, as well as the first direct elections for president. In previous elections, the Congress of Venezuela had decided and voted on who would assume the presidency.

Background

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A new constitution was passed by Congress in 1936, and this restricted voting rights to literate males over the age of 21; over half of Venezuelans could not read.[3] Voting reforms were conducted after the coup in 1945. The eligible voting population rose from 5% to 36% after the right to vote was extended to all citizens over the age of 18 regardless of education, gender, or property.[4]

Democratic Action (AD) was founded in September 1941, after President Isaías Medina Angarita liberalized politics in Venezuela and allowed for the creation of new political organisations.[5]

Diógenes Escalante [es] was meant to be Medina's successor, but he withdrew from politics before the 1945 presidential election after suffering from an illness. Minister of Agriculture Ángel Biaggini [es] replaced Escalante, but he was not supported by AD.[6] AD and members of the military worked together to overthrow Medina on 18 October 1945, and created the El Trienio Adeco.[4] New elections were called for 1946 and 1947 in order to elect people to write a new constitution and elect a new Congress of Venezuela and president.[6]

Campaign

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Members of the Unión Nacional Estudiantil [es] (UNE), Acción Electoral, and Acción Nacional formed the Comité de Organización Electoral (CIE) in 1945. On 13 January 1946, CIE was reorganised into Copei. Rafael Caldera initially supported the new government and was made attorney general. However, he resigned on 13 April 1946 after protesting an attempt by the AD to break up a Christian democratic organisation's meeting in Táchira.[6] Copei held its first national convention in September.[7]

The church strongly supported Copei in Táchira and priests told parishioners from the pulpit to vote for the party.[8]

The National Constituent Assembly election to select people to write the constitution was held on 27 October 1946. AD, Copei, Democratic Republican Union (URD), Communist Party of Venezuela (PCV), and Socialist Party (PS) participated in these elections. AD placed first with 78.43% and won in every state except for Táchira and Mérida where Copei won.[9] The assembly was divided between 137 AD members, 19 Copei, 2 URD, and 2 PCV.[10] A new constitution was enacted on 5 July 1947.[11]

Results

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President

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Caldera placed first in Táchira and Mérida while Gallegos won every other state. Caldera received a larger percentage of the vote in the presidential race than Copei received in the legislative election.[11] Copei's support rose from 13% in the National Constituent Assembly election to over 20% in the legislative and presidential elections.[12]

CandidatePartyVotes%
Rómulo GallegosDemocratic Action871,75274.35
Rafael CalderaCopei262,20422.36
Gustavo Machado MoralesCommunist Party of Venezuela38,5873.29
Total1,172,543100.00
Registered voters/turnout1,662,000–
Source: Nohlen

Congress

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In Mérida, the COPEI ran in alliance with the Republican Federal Union. In Tachira the URD ran in alliance with the Liberal Party of Tachira. In the Amazonas Federal Territory the URD ran in alliance with the Progressive Liberal Party.[13]

PartyVotes%Seats
ChamberSenate
Democratic Action838,52670.848338
Copei200,69516.95164
Democratic Republican Union51,4274.3441
Communist Party of Venezuela43,1903.6531
Republican Federal Union39,4913.3432
Revolutionary Party of the Proletariat (Communist)7,0680.6000
Liberal Party of Tachira1,3000.1100
Socialist Party of Venezuela1,2070.1000
Progressive Liberal Party8600.0710
Total1,183,764100.0011046
Valid votes1,183,76498.74
Invalid/blank votes15,1051.26
Total votes1,198,869100.00
Registered voters/turnout1,662,00072.13
Source: Nohlen, Bunimov-Parra[14][15]

Chamber seat distribution by state

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Senate seat distribution by state

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State legislative assemblies

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State AD COPEI
/UFR		 URD PCV
Anzoátegui 13 1
Apure 11 1
Aragua 12 2
Barinas 9 3
Bolívar 11 1
Carabobo 14 2
Cojedes 10 1 1
Falcón 17 2
Guárico 13 1
Lara 18 2 1
Mérida 6 10
Miranda 15 2
Monagas 12 1
Nueva Esparta 8 4
Portuguesa 11 1
Sucre 18 2
Táchira 6 12
Trujillo 12 7
Yaracuy 12 1
Zulia 18 2 2
Source: CSE[16]

Municipal councils

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State/
Territory		 AD COPEI URD
PLP		 PCV
Federal District 14 6 1 1
Amazonas Federal Territory 2 3
Delta Amacuro Federal Territory 4 1
Source: CSE,[16] Arráiz Lucca[17]

Aftermath

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The government was overthrown by a coup d'état on 24 November 1948, which eventually led to the dictatorship of Marcos Pérez Jiménez.[18]

References

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  1. ↑ Dieter Nohlen (2005) Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume II, p555 ISBN 978-0-19-928358-3
  2. ↑ Nohlen, p579
  3. ↑ Singh 1989, p. 90.
  4. 1 2 Diamond, Linz & Lipset 1989, p. 254.
  5. ↑ Diamond, Linz & Lipset 1989, p. 252.
  6. 1 2 3 Herman 1980, p. 23.
  7. ↑ Herman 1980, p. 24.
  8. ↑ Herman 1980, p. 26.
  9. ↑ Herman 1980, p. 27.
  10. ↑ Herman 1980, p. 28.
  11. 1 2 Herman 1980, p. 30.
  12. ↑ Herman 1980, p. 31.
  13. ↑ Rodolfo Quintero; Universidad Central de Venezuela (1972). Estudio de Caracas. Ediciones de la Biblioteca. p. 731.
  14. ↑ Boris Bunimov-Parra (1968). Introducción a la sociología electoral venezolana. Editorial Arte. p. 74.
  15. ↑ Rodolfo Quintero; Universidad Central de Venezuela (1973). Estudio de Caracas. Ediciones de la Biblioteca. p. 149.
  16. 1 2 3 4 Los Partidos políticos y sus estadísticas electorales, 1946-1984. Consejo Supremo Electoral, División de Estadística. 1987. pp. 43–44.
  17. ↑ Rafael Arráiz Lucca (15 February 2016). El "trienio adeco" (1945-1948) y las conquistas de la ciudadanía. Editorial Alfa. ISBN 978-84-16687-12-1.
  18. ↑ Diamond, Linz & Lipset 1989, p. 255.

Works cited

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