Valenzuela

For the Philippine city, see 

Valenzuela, officially the Federative Republic of Valenzuela (Spanish: República Federativa de Valenzuela), is a country on the northeastern coast of South America, sharing maritime borders with Eastern Caribbean countries in the northwest, Venezuela on the southwest, Guyana on the south, Suriname and French Guiana on the southeast. It has a total land area of 204,601 km2 (78,996 sq mi) with a population of 52.8 million in 2021. The capital, Catalina, and the largest city Ciudad de Expósito are located in the same metropolitan region, Federal Capital District.

The land now known as Valenzuela was colonized by Spain at the same time Venezuela was colonized. Valenzuela gained independence after Gran Colombia dissolved in 1831, but tensions with the Empire of Brazil grew as Brazil claimed to be the legitimate owners of the country's islands. The tensions with Brazil led to the Brazilian-Valenzuelan war which was won by Valenzuela. During the last years of the 19th century, Valenzuela was under a repressive military dictatorship led by Estanislao Molina which lasted from 1872 to 1899 before being overthrown, establishing a democratic government later on. Valenzuela was the poorest country in Latin America between the 1940s and 1960s, with a GDP per capita of only around US$50. The 1967 presidential election saw a big moment where Emigdio Pavía was elected the president, and during his first years saw the start of the Valenzuelan economic miracle and by the end of his term in 1987. Valenzuela already became an economic power, ranking 5th in Latin America in terms of GDP in 1978 then later 2nd in 1998.

Today, Valenzuela ranks second with the most healthiest history of democratic elections, only behind to the Portuguese-Spanish country Integrita. Valenzuela has the third largest nominal GDP in Latin America, and has a very high HDI. When it comes to economic complexity, Valenzuela has the most diverse economy in Latin America, in contrast to it's twin country Venezuela which is extremely dependent on oil. Valenzuela is a charter member of the UN, Organization of American States (OAS), Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), Mercosur, Latin American Integration Association (LAIA) and Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI), and also an observer of ALBA.

Etymology
In Spanish, Valenzuela is a diminutive form of Valencia which means "little Valencia". It's previous names were the Estado Federal de Valenzuela (1831-1856), Federación Valenzuela (1856-1857), República Federal Popular de Valenzuela (1857-1871), República Federal de Valenzuela (1871-1922), and República de Valenzuela (1922-2001).

Prehistory: 15,000 years ago
Evidence exists of human habitation in the area now known as Valenzuela from about 15,000 years ago. It is not known how many people lived in Valenzuela before the Spanish conquest. In addition to indigenous peoples known today, the population included historical groups such as the Wapishana, Pemon, Akawaio, and Warao.

Colonization: 1522-1819
Spain's colonization of mainland Valenzuela started in 1522, a few months after the Spanish colonization of mainland Venezuela, establishing its second permanent South American settlement in the present-day city of Bosque. In the 16th century, during the Spanish colonization, indigenous peoples such as many of the Pemon converted to Roman Catholicism. Some of the resisting tribes or leaders are commemorated in place names, including Quiñones, Ciudad de Expósito, and Arechavaleta.

Gran Colombian Valenzuela: 1819-1831
After series of failed declarations for Independence, they were later admitted to Gran Colombia led by Simon Bolivar. Valenzuela was the only territory of Gran Colombia to be outside of mainland South America, as the country is located in the northern coast of British Guyana and Dutch Suriname.

Independence, Brazilian-Valenzuelan War, and Molina Era: 1831-1899
Valenzuela declared it's independence on the same day Gran Colombia finally dissolved after almost 12 years. The country's tensions with Brazil grew overtime due to the territorial conflict in the Quijano-Quesada Islands just off the eastern coast of Valenzuela. Brazil and Valenzuela's tensions grew overtime that it led to the 1834-1838 Brazilian-Valenzuelan war, and Valenzuela surprisingly won, taking full ownership to the islands.

In 1872, Estanislao Molina overthrew President Santiago Espinoza establishing a federal military dictatorship that would be dubbed as the 'Molina Era', the darkest era in Valenzuela's history as during the dictatorship, more than 10,000 deaths were the result of political repression. After 27 dark years, Molina was overthrew via coup d'etat led by Amancio Arechavaleta who later became the president.

Contemporary era: since 1899
Valenzuela during the early years of post-Molina Era achieved some degree of political stability, but the country took time to achieve economic stability. By the 1910s, they did achieve economic stability but the country remained very poor.

From the 1940s to the 1960s, Valenzuela was among the poorest countries in the world and the dreams of becoming a first-world country was nearly impossible until statesman Emigdio Pavía of the Liberal Democratic Party was elected president in 1967. Pavía wanted to duplicate Singapore prime minister Lee Kuan Yew's ideas to Valenzuela to achieve the dreams of becoming a first-world country. Pavía achieved the nickname 'Father of the Miracle' after his economic & social programs became extremely successful, with the average growth rate being at 11.6%.

Emigdio Pavía's emphasis on rapid economic growth, support for business entrepreneurship, and limitations on internal democracy shaped Valenzuela's policies for the next half-century. Economic growth continued throughout the 1980s, with the unemployment rate falling to 3% and real GDP growth averaging at about 8% up until 1999. During the 1980s, Valenzuela began to shift towards high-tech industries, such as the wafer fabrication sector, in order to remain competitive as neighbouring countries began manufacturing with cheaper labour. The Valenzuelan Exposito Airport was opened in 1983 and Valenzuela Airlines was formed. The Port of Catalina became one of the world's busiest ports and the service and tourism industries also grew immensely during this period.

Via the Pavía pact, the democratic socialist Liberal Democratic Party, the liberal-conservative New Patriotic Party, and the centrist People's Democratic Alternative, remained power since the declaration of the pact in 1979. During Pavía's term, Pavía also developed a political philosophy that he named 'Los principios del progreso ' (English: The Principles of Progress), also known as the 'Pavía Doctrine'. In 1987, Juanfran Gutierrez of the New Patriotic Party succeeded Pavía and became Valenzuela's new president after winning the 1987 presidential election. During Gutierrez's 5-year term, the National Assembly approved to amend the constitution by giving the presidency a single five-year term to avoid any consolidation of power.

Under Aníbal Morales' term from 1992 to 1997, Morales maintained the rapid economic growth from the Pavia administration while implementing new social policies and infrastructure. Morales' biggest achievement during his presidency was the first maglev train in South America and in the Americas in general.

Echevarría's term saw a new constitution being implemented on 1 January 2001, and abolishing the bicameral Congress in favour of the unicameral National Assembly. Echevarría was a known vocal opponent of Bolivarianism, which soured Valenzuela and Venezuela's relations. In fact, Hugo Chavez denounced Bonifacio Echevarría on Chavez's television program Aló Presidente.

Fabricio Valencia's presidency was historical, as Valencia was the first president to have Clementina Gaspar as vice president. Gaspar was the first female vice president, and also the youngest vice president, taking office at the age of 37. Valencia's presidency was also where same-sex marriage and reassignment surgery for transgender men and women was officially legalized nationwide.

Under the presidency of Alfredo Sastre, numerous mega-projects were completed, such as the Torres del Triplete de Pavía, the highest triplet towers in South America, the Catalina Education Square, the largest education square in Valenzuela where 4 high schools, 7 libraries, and 2 colleges are located, and the Pavía City, the first eco-friendly city in Valenzuela and is set to become Valenzuela's newest capital by 2035.

The economic miracle that started in Pavía's administration continued in the administration of Ignacio Guadarrama (2012-2017), and Luis Ángel Escamilla (2017-2022). Valenzuela is set to hold it's elections for 2022 on the 7th of May, with the 34 year old student leader Alexandra Sierra set to become the winner of the election.

Government and politics
Valenzuela's political system works under the Constitution of Valenzuela and under the Principles of Progress, which states that Valenzuela "shall be a democratic republic led by a man or a woman who is destined to lead the people into a better tomorrow". The government is divided into three branches: the Executive Branch (Rama Ejecutiva), the Legislative Branch (Poder Legislativo), and the Judicial Branch (Rama Judicial).

As the head of the executive branch, the President of Valenzuela serves as both head of state and head of government, followed by the Vice President and the Council of Ministers. The president is elected by popular vote to serve a single five-year term, the last time a president served more than one five-year term was during the peak of the economic miracle. Emigdio Pavía was the only president who served four terms (1967−1972; 1972−1977; 1977−1982; 1982−1987).

The main legislative body is the unicameral National Assembly (Asamblea Nacional) with 128 seats. 112 members are elected by popular vote via party-list proportional representation; sixteen non-partisan members are designated by the president. The members elected by popular vote serve five-year terms, with a possibility of a re-election for 2 consecutive terms.

The country has more than 40 active political parties. Together with several smaller parties, three political parties stand out: the democratic socialist Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), the liberal-conservative New Patriotic Party (NPP), and the centrist People's Democratic Alternative (PDA). Thanks to the Pavía pact, the LDP, NPP, and the PDA remained in power. The three parties are the leaders of their respective electoral coalitions: the Coalición del Progreso (CDP), which is led by the LDP, the Lucha de Valenzuelanos Democráticos (LVD), which is led by the NPP, and the Alianza Centrista del Pueblo (ACP), which is led by the PDA.

Valenzuela is considered to be one of the most developed democracies in the world. Since 2010, Valenzuela has been classified as Latin America's second most democratic country by the Democracy Index.

Foreign relations
As a charter and active member of the United Nations, the country has been elected to the Security Council. The country is an active participant in peacekeeping missions, particularly in Lebanon and Central African Republic. Valenzuela maintained maintained friendly relations with most Latin American and Western nations. The relations between twin country Venezuela worsened in 2002, after the 2002 Venezuelan coup d'état attempt during which the Valenzuelan government recognized the short-lived interim presidency of Pedro Carmona, the same time the U.S. government also recognized the interim presidency.

Administrative divisions
Valenzuela is divided into 33 federal subjects (sujetos federales): 21 provinces, 7 republics, 3 federal cities, an autonomous province, and an unincorporated territory (Consuela Islands). Prior to the 2001 Constitution, there were 47 federal subjects (36 provinces, 7 republics, 3 federal cities, and the Consuela Islands) but 14 provinces were merged with the other 22 provinces after the 2001 Constitution was introduced. They do, however, differ in the degree of autonomy they enjoy.

Military
The National Armed Forces of Valenzuela are divided into the Ground Forces, the Navy, and the Aerospace Forces—and there are also two independent arms of service: the Strategic Missile Troops and the Airborne Troops. As of 2021, the military have around a million active-duty personnel, which is one of the world's largest, and about 550-580 thousand reserve personnel. There was once a mandatory military service, but it was later suspended thanks to violations of personal freedom

Human rights
Valenzuela has been considered a progressive country, which has adopted legislation and policies to support women's rights, minority rights, and LGBT rights. In 1896, president and autocrat Estanislao Molina founded the Asociación Valenzuela de Derechos de la Mujer, or the Valenzuelan Association of Women's Rights. He successfully campaigned for women's right to education, women's suffrage, the right to work, and other gender equality policies. From the 1970s, gender equality also came high on the state agenda, with the establishment of a public body to promote gender equality, which evolved into the Defensor del Pueblo de Igualdad de Género y Antidiscriminación de Valenzuela (Ombudsman for Gender Equality and Anti-Discrimination of Valenzuela). Civil society organisations also continue to play an important role, and the women's rights organisations are today organised in the Federación de Mujeres de Valenzuela (Women's Federation of Valenzuela) umbrella organization.

In regard to LGBT rights, Valenzuela was one of the first countries in the world to enact an anti-discrimination law protecting the rights of gays and lesbians. In 1994, Valenzuela became the third country to legalise civil union partnerships for same-sex couples, and in 2015, Valenzuela legalized same-sex marriage.

Geography
Valenzuela is located a few thousand kilometers away from Guyana and Suriname's shores; geologically, its mainland rests on the South American Plate. It has a total area of 204,601 km2 (78,996 sq mi), making Valenzuela the fourth smallest country in South America, only behind to Guyana and Ecuador.

Economy
The economy of Valenzuela is a mix of a social market economy and a green economy characterized by a high level of foreign trade and an high-income economy as classified by the World Bank. Valenzuela has the third-largest economy by nominal GDP and currently experiences a very high human development index. The country is considered one of South America's most prosperous nations, leading the region in competitiveness, income per capita, globalization, economic freedom, and low perception of corruption.

Alongside the business-friendly reputation, state-owned enterprises play a substantial role in Valenzuela's economy. The sovereign wealth fund Iuturna Holdings holds majority stakes in several of the nation's largest companies, such as Valenzuela Airlines, ValenTEL, Ingeniería Nacional de Tecnologías de Valenzuela (INTECVA), and the Empresa Valenzuela de Televisión (EVT). The Valenzuelan economy is a major foreign direct investment (FDI) outflow-financier in the world. Valenzuela has also benefited from the inward flow of FDI from global investors and institutions due to its highly attractive investment climate and a stable political environment in recent years.

Valenzuela thus could be said to rely on an extended concept of intermediary trade to entrepôt trade, by purchasing raw goods and refining them for re-export, such as in the wafer-fabrication industry and in oil refining. Valenzuela has a strategic port which makes it more competitive than many of its neighbours in carrying out such entrepôt activities. Valenzuela's trade to GDP ratio is among the highest in the world, averaging around 400% during 2012-15. The Port of Catalina is one of the busiest in the world by cargo tonnage.

To preserve its international standing and to further its economic prosperity in the 21st century, Valenzuela has taken measures to promote innovation, to encourage entrepreneurship and to re-train its workforce. The Comisión de Mano de Obra (CMO; Commission of Manpower) has the prime responsibility for setting, adjusting, and enforcing foreign-worker immigration-rules. Approximately 1,650,000 foreign domestic workers operate in Valenzuela.