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Home / Awards / Path to Peace Award / 1998 THE PATH TO PEACE AWARD RECIPIENTS 1998 - His Excellency Dr. Rafael Caldera 
The life and contributions of Dr. Rafael Caldera are already an important part of the contemporary history of his homeland, Venezuela, and of the entire South American Continent. He was born in Caracas on 24 January 1916, and is married to Doña Alicia Pietri. They have six children who have distinguished themselves in the academic and political arenas. Throughout his fruitful life he has been — and continues to be — a lawyer, a university professor, a member of parliament, and president of his country. As a twenty-year old university student Rafael Caldera, in 1936, founded the Union Nacional de Estudiantes (UNE), which eventually became the Social Christian Party “COPEI”. In January 1941, at the age of twenty-five, he was elected to the House of Representatives for his native state of Yaracuy. During this time he participated in the preparatory discussions on the bill for the boundary treaty with Colombia. He also took part in the preparatory deliberations concerning the partial reform of the 1936 Constitution and revisions to the Civil Code. He was the major force in the enactment of modern and progressive labor laws, much needed after many years of dictatorship. In 1943 he decided to forgo parliamentary activities in order to pursue his university chair responsibilities. In 1946 he was elected as representative to the National Constituent Assembly, inaugurated on 17 December of that year. This body had the task of providing the country with a new Constitution, inspired by the principle of the so-called “October Revolution,” which was adopted on 5 July 1947. The Assembly’s work was not limited simply to one project for the formulation of a Constitution, but included numerous projects on various constitutional aspects. In these discussions Dr. Caldera held a prominent role. His main interventions focused on the social rights of workers, the concept of private property as an institution which has a social function, as well as the issues of small and medium-sized farmlands, ecclesiastical patronage as a juridical form impeding religious freedom, the freedom of the Church to teach, the popular election of state governors and the superior council of the magistrature, among other themes. On 14 October 1947, at the age of 31, Dr. Caldera was proclaimed presidential candidate of the Social Christian Party “COPEI” (Comité de Organización Política Electoral Independiente), which he founded the year before. While he did not win this election, he was elected Congressional Representative for the period 1948-53. His service in this capacity was interrupted by a coup on 24 November 1948. Dr. Caldera participated as a member of the drafting commission on electoral law which, adopted on 18 April 1951, regulated the elections of the Representatives to the Constituent Assembly of Venezuela. By this statute, which was an important initiative of Caldera, the obligation to vote was established for the first time. It has been a model for subsequent elections and laws regarding elections. Following the Constituent Assembly elections, and before the electoral triumph of the URD Party, the then Colonel Marcos Perez Jimenez disregarded the election results and expelled the newly elected leaders from the country. Because the government refused to recognize the rights of the expelled representatives, to give publicity to the Assembly debates, or guarantee the civic rights and the normal functioning of public institutions, Dr. Caldera and the Social Christian Party “COPEI” refused to participate in the sessions of the Constituent Assembly. On 23 January 1958 the dictatorship was overthrown, ushering in a new stage which, notwithstanding the obstacles endured, made an important mark on the political life of Venezuela. In the twenty years following this event, Rafael Caldera brought his major contributions to the Venezuelan political system. He was not only the supreme head of the Christian Democratic Party but also a venerable leader who never relinquished his vision. He has been an example of civic virtues and a permanent chair on constitutional law. Democracy has been one of the preferred constitutional themes of Dr. Caldera. “We understand democracy in light of Christian philosophy, and we understand Christianity in its democratically lived reality,” he has said. Caldera was again a presidential candidate in 1958, and although he lost the election, he was elected President of the House of Representatives. In this capacity he was also a Member and Co-President of the Bi-Cameral Commission for the reform of the Constitution. During this time he presented proposals concerning individual and social rights, and regarding the proceedings for the amendment and general reform of the 1961 Constitution. One of the most important accomplishments of his life was the insertion in the Constitution of the guarantee of the right to life, which is found in Articles 58 and 74. The latter Article specifies “from the moment of conception,” thus confirming the need for this protection. In December 1968 Rafael Caldera was elected President of the Republic of Venezuela. During his five year mandate he served as a qualified interpreter of the Constitution, exercising his mandate with wisdom, prudence and skill. One of his first and most intense priorities during this period was the consolidation of a state rooted in law. One of the most important and delicate achievements of this time was the process of “pacificación,” a policy of amnesty initiated by President Caldera against the will of many, but which effectively put an end to the guerrilla warfare which had plagued the country for ten years, costing many lives, since the end of the dictatorship. In the early 1990s Venezuela was a country crippled by debt, suffering from debilitated institutions, widespread violence and political tensions. Because of the deteriorating conditions facing his country, Dr. Caldera stepped forward once again on behalf of his people, even though he did not receive the support of his political party. And so he accepted the leadership of a coalition of small parties which was victorious over the two largest blocs — “COPEI” and “Accion Democratica” — in elections held in 1993. His legacy will be his promotion of peace and respect for law. The Venezuela that journeys into the 21st century has understood, through the voice and example of this exemplary leader, that development can only be obtained through hard work. It is on behalf of the laborer that Caldera has dedicated his entire public life. While he has demonstrated himself as an intellectual who is dedicated to law and political science, he became a politician by obligation — as he himself stated — being moved to action by a conscience founded upon his integral Christian conception. In addition to faith, worship and church, that conception also encompasses a lifestyle and norm which, governed by the commandment of love, moves the individual to the service of his fellow man. Ultimately, Dr. Caldera’s innate solidarity with his fellow man is rooted in Christian love, which has been the guiding principle of his activities. He has proven himself to be an intellectual — in his studies of sociology for the development of the rights of the workers, and a politician — in his dedicated efforts and concerns for the building of a better Venezuela and Latin America. In recognition of his outstanding service and tireless efforts for the cause of peace, and recalling his particular participation in the endeavours of the Path to Peace Foundation, His Excellency Dr. Rafael Caldera is honored this day with the 1998 Path to Peace Award.
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