The topic of the paper is the process of erosion of democracy in the case of Venezuela and the possible patterns that led to the violation of democratic principles. The focus of the paper is the period of Hugo Chávez's rule (1998-2013) and its influence on the political structure of Venezuela. Using the theoretical implications of democracy set forth by Dahl, Merkel and O'Donnell, this paper is concerned with identifying the democratic principles at stake in the case of Venezuela. Contemporary democratic backsliding is based on the gradual erosion of democratic institutions by officials who have gained legitimacy through elections, in accordance with democratic rules. Venezuela under Hugo Chávez serves as a blatant example of the erosion of democracy through the careful and incremental erosion of democratic institutions. While enjoying popular support, Chávez carefully reconstructed democratic political rule. Irregularities within the electoral process, endangering the principle of horizontal responsibility of the government and undermining the independence of the judiciary are cited as key causes of the erosion of democracy in Venezuela. The consequence of the erosion of democracy in Venezuela has been a transition to a hybrid regime.