Statute Governing the Transition to Democracy
[9] Raffalli states that the National Assembly and the Transition Statute declare that Nicolás Maduro has occupied the Presidency since 10 January "without having submitted to a legitimate electoral process".[5] According to Raffalli, "the Statute clearly states that the rescue of popular sovereignty and the restoration of constitutional order will be definitively achieved by holding free, authentic, transparent, competitive and fair presidential elections."[5] Juan Miguel Matheus [es] – National Assembly deputy representing Carabobo state and president of the Commission for the Defense of the Constitution – drafted the statute.[4] Matheus explains in an article for Tal Cual entitled "12 questions and answers on the Statute that governs the transition to democracy" (Spanish: 12 preguntas y respuestas sobre el Estatuto que rige la transición a la democracia) how the Transition Statute provide for ultimately restoring constitutional order and naming a President of the Republic in free elections.He says the purpose of the statute is laid out in Article 2 as the three steps towards restoration of democracy: 1) end the usurpation of the office of the presidency, 2) form a provisional government, and 3) hold free elections.