Weekly Report - 23 August 2007 (ISSN 1741-7422)

After months of speculation since his decisive electoral triumph in December 2006, Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez finally presented the details of his proposed constitutional reform last week. The reform, drawn up under the enabling law he passed at the turn of the year, which granted the executive full powers to legislate in key areas, is designed to enshrine the concept of 21st century socialism into a new constitution by 2008. Chávez presented the constitutional reform to the 167-seat national assembly, which unanimously approved it in the first of three readings on 21 August. It will then be presented to the Venezuelan people in the form of a referendum.