Venezuela is officially a federal presidential republic called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, but in practice many observers describe it as an electoral authoritarian or hybrid regime rather than a fully functioning democracy.

Basic government type

  • Formally: a federal presidential republic with a written constitution and separation of powers.
  • The president is both head of state and head of government, elected in national elections for a six‑year term with the possibility of indefinite re‑election after a 2009 constitutional change.
  • The country is divided into states, a federal district, territories, and dependencies, which fits the federal structure.

Branches of government

Venezuela’s constitution creates more branches than the classic three.

  • Executive : President and cabinet wield extensive power over national policy and security.
  • Legislative : A unicameral National Assembly is elected by popular vote and passes laws, though its power has been heavily constrained in recent years by pro‑executive bodies.
  • Judicial : The Supreme Tribunal of Justice and lower courts, with justices appointed by the National Assembly for long, fixed terms.
  • Citizen branch : Includes the prosecutor general, ombudsman, and comptroller general, intended to oversee ethics and legality in government.
  • Electoral branch : The National Electoral Council organizes and oversees elections at all levels.

On democracy and “real‑world” practice

  • International legal and political analyses note that, although Venezuela’s constitution establishes a representative democratic and federal republic, the concentration of power in the executive and pressure on opposition, media, and courts have led experts to classify it as an “authoritarian” or “competitive authoritarian” system.
  • Human‑rights and democracy reports highlight problems with electoral fairness, judicial independence, and separation of powers, which is why discussions about “what type of government Venezuela has” often distinguish between its formal constitutional design and how it actually operates.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.