Venezuela at least has some history of half-way reasonable self-rule by the people there since they attained independence from Spain in 1830. Yes, they've had periods of military dictatorship, but the people have mostly managed to keep themselves fed, and you don't hear of mass starvation (like Somalia, Nigeria (Biafran Independence attempt), and Ethiopia) or episodes of mass killing (Rwandan massacres)
Their current situation is caused by a raving Marxist having been installed thru his having the most votes in a three-way race (something like how we got Clinton in his first term)
[Excerpt] Ebrahim is a Zimbabwean of Indian descent and was the last non-black judge in the Supreme Court.
The judiciary has been under growing pressure by the government to issue rulings in its favor and government officials described the decision Ebrahim oversaw as ``a rotten fish''.
Justice ministry officials said Ebrahim submitted a letter of resignation stating he would be taking leave before retiring from the court in May.
Ebrahim is the fifth senior judge to quit in the past year.
Among senior judges to have left the bench recently is former Chief Justice Anthony Gubbay. He was forced to take early retirement last July after the government warned him and other judges they would not be protected from ruling party militants, who stormed the Supreme Court in December 2000, shouting, ``Kill the judges!''
The Supreme Court under Gubbay had declared the government-sanctioned seizure of white-owned farms illegal. The court was accused by militants of bias in favor of white landowners.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court struck down the General Laws Amendment Act, passed by the ruling party in January.
The ruling said the act was improperly pushed through Parliament and violated constitutional and voters rights. It nullified sweeping powers given to state electoral officials and restrictions on election observers and party polling agents.
It also overruled an amendment giving the state sole power to appoint local election monitors and allowed church and other independent groups to deploy monitors at voting and counting stations.
Last year, the government expanded the Supreme Court bench from five to eight judges, in an apparent bid to pack the highest court in the country with sympathetic judges.
Gubbay's successor, Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku, has been accused of openly supporting ruling party policies. [End Excerpt]