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Over a span of a mere 60 days, the Constitutional Assembly thus framed a document that enshrined as constitutional law most of the structural changes Chávez desired. Chávez stated such changes were necessary in order to successfully and comprehensively enact his planned social justice programs. Sweeping changes in Venezuelan governmental structure were to be made; Chávez's plan was, stemming from his 1998 campaign pledges, thus to dramatically open up Venezuelan political discourse to independent and third parties by radically altering the national political context. In the process, Chávez sought to fatally paralyze his AD and COPEI opposition. All Chávez's aims were, in one move, dramatically furthered.
Later, on [[December 3]], [[2000]], local elections and a referendum were held. The referendum, backed by Chávez, proposed a law that would force Venezuela's labor unions to hold state-monitored elections. The referendum was widely condemned by international labor organizations — including the [[ILO]] — as undue government interference in internal union matters; these organizations threatened to apply sanctions on Venezuela.{{ref|carter2000_73}} After the May and July 2000 elections, Chávez backed the passage of the "Enabling Act" by the National Assembly. This act allowed Chávez to [[rule by decree]] for one year. In November 2001, shortly before the Enabling Act was set to expire, Chávez enacted a set of 49 decrees. These included the Hydrocarbons Law and the Land Law, which are detailed below. The national business federation [[Fedecámaras]] opposed the new laws and called for a general business [[strike]] on [[December 10]], [[2001]]. The strike failed to significantly impact Chávez's policies, however. By the end of his first three years of his presidency, Chavez's main policy concerns thus challenged the Venezuelan oligarchy's control over Venezuela's land and petroleum resources, and introduced reforms aimed at improving the social welfare of the population by lowering infant mortality rates, introducing land reform, and the implementation of cursory government-funded free healthcare and education up to university level.{{ref|ccr_1}} These initial domestic policy steps would be dramatically furthered later in Chavez's presidency.
=== Coup of 2002 ===
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