Constitution of Venezuela (1936)

Former constitution of Venezuela

Constitution of the United States of Venezuela

Ratified| July 20, 1936
Repealed| July 5, 1947
Location| Palacio Federal Legislativo
Author(s)| Senators and Deputies of the Congress of the Republic
Signatories| 200 Legislators
Purpose| National Constitution to replace the 1931 Constitution

The Constitution of Venezuela of 1936 was approved on July 16, 1936, during the presidency of Eleazar López Contreras. Its importance is centered on being the first political constitution of the State after the dictatorship of Juan Vicente Gómez. Although it put an end to the personalist[1] character of its predecessors, at the beginning it had more restrictive characteristics than the seven Gómez constitutions. This changed on April 23, 1945, when President Isaías Medina Angarita promoted a reform,[2] deepening the democratization process that had begun in 1936. On October 18, 1945, a coup d'état planned by the military sector and supported by Democratic Action overthrew Medina.[3] The new Revolutionary Government Junta called for constituent elections in 1946.[4] This led to the approval of the 1947 Constitution, which repealed the 1936 Constitution.[5][6]

## Characteristics

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Source:[1]

* Senators and deputies are elected by second degree elections. They are in charge of electing the President of the Republic. With the 1945 reform, parliamentarians are elected directly.[4]
* The presidential term is reduced from 7 to 5 years.
* The parliamentary term is 4 years.
* Men over 21 years of age and literate can elect and be elected.
* Women can participate in the elections to Municipal Councils. After the reform of 1945, women are allowed to vote universally and by secret ballot.[4]
* The name of Zamora State is changed to Barinas State.
* Communist and anarchist activities are prohibited, but in the reform of 1945 this provision is suppressed.[4]

## See also

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* Constitution of Venezuela of 1953
* Constitution of Venezuela of 1961

## References

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1. ^ a b "Constituciones de Venezuela". Fundación Polar (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2008-03-31. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
2. ^ Camacho, Francisco (2019). "La política intervencionista a la economía venezolana de Isaías Medina Angarita en un contexto de guerra (1941-1945) ·". Compendium (in Spanish). 22 (42).
3. ^ Castillo, Luís Fernando (1 June 2016). "El heraldo octubrista: Rómulo Betancourt, motivos y objetivos de la revolución de 1945". Tiempo y Espacio (in Spanish). 24 (61): 151–169\. ISSN 1315-9496.
4. ^ a b c d Rojas, Indira (2020-10-18). "La revolución del voto y el 18 de octubre de 1945". Prodavinci (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-03-25.
5. ^ "Constitución política del Estado de Venezuela, 5 de julio de 1947" [Political Constitution of the State of Venezuela, July 5, 1947.]. Cervantes Virtual (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-07-21.
6. ^ "Junta Revolucionaria de Gobierno" [Revolutionary Government Board]. DHV (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-07-21.

Preceded by

Constitution of Venezuela of 1931

|  Constitutional History of Venezuela
Constitution of the United States of Venezuela of 1936
1936–1947  | Succeeded by

Constitution of Venezuela of 1947

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