This book deals with the dismantling of Venezuelan democracy from within that the country's authoritarian government has accomplished during the past decade using some democratic tools defrauding the Constitution. This process began after the election of Hugo Chávez Frías as president of the Republic of Venezuela in December 1998, the result of which was the tragic setback to democratic institutions and standards. Venezuela had been one of the most admired Latin American countries because of its stable democracy, which had consolidated during the second half of the twentieth century. During the past decade, the country has experienced a continuous, persistent, and deliberate demolishing of institutions and destruction of democracy, which has never before occurred in the constitutional history of the country.

The first step to subvert democratic principles and values materialized in 1999, with the forced convening of a constituent assembly – not established in the Constitution as a valid means for constitutional reform – through a consultative referendum to impose the “will of the people” over the Constitution itself (peoples' sovereignty over constitutional supremacy). The result was the interference and takeover of all recently elected branches of government by the newly elected Constituent Assembly, completely controlled by the president of the republic. For the election of the Assembly, an electoral system was adopted without any sort of agreements, the Constitution was sanctioned without any sort of consensus, and conditions were established for the imposition of an authoritarian and centralized government, which has since eliminated any checks and balances and, consequently, the rule of law.