Political Philosophy of Simón Bolívar: Liberty and Power

Fundamental Principles of Bolivarian Thought

Freedom: Freedom is the main principle guiding the political life of Bolívar. Freedom means independence; it means breaking with dominance and is inherent in the condition of being able to express feelings without ties. Bolívar distinguishes two types of liberty:

• Civil Liberty: Bolívar calls this true freedom.
• Political Freedom: Based on the principle that nothing is more important for a citizen than the election of their officers.

Equality: Bolívar thought of political and social equality identified as effective and produced by the law, where there were no privileges. This was based on the following thought: "Nature makes all men unequal in genius, strength, temperament, and character; the law corrects this by giving a fictitious equality, properly called social policy."

Security: This is the guarantee that society should give to each of its members for the preservation of their person and property. Rights should be protected by law.

Property: The right of every citizen to enjoy and freely dispose of their property and the fruits of their talent, industry, and labor. These are the foundations of moral and equal justice.

Suffrage: Nothing is more important to the people than the election of their legislators, judges, magistrates, and pastors. The polls represent the interests of each province and serve to complain about violations of laws and the abuse of judges. Only educated citizens could vote, but this does not contradict Bolívar's thoughts on freedom, because the power to elect officers should be guaranteed on the condition that voters were ready, and the only way to achieve this was through education.

The Division of Public Authorities

According to Bolívar's proposal in the Angostura Discourse (1819) and the Constituent Congress of Bolivia (1826), the authorities are divided as follows:

• Executive: Should be formed by a President elected by the people or their representatives, assisted by his staff and ministers; this depended on the laws.
• Legislature: Proposes a parliament comprising two chambers: the representatives and senators. With a hereditary senate, it is a neutral and independent body. Senators would be elected by Congress and educated in a special school for their preparation.
• Judiciary: Judges must be independent and stable, complemented by the presence of jurors and civil and criminal codes.
• Moral Power: True to his ideal of the importance of education, Bolívar proposed that Congress deal directly with children to dominate the hearts of men, public spirit, morality, and republican ethics.

The Balance of Power Posed by the Liberator

This was the establishment of mechanisms and organs by Bolívar to form a system that tends toward a permanent balance between the various public authorities. The goal was to ensure that none dominates the other or the people at the expense of liberty. Bolívar proposed a strong executive that would be subject to the judiciary, the legislative, and the people; otherwise, it might fall into abuse, leading to usurpation, tyranny, and anarchy.