[NYTr] Venezuelanalysis on Chavez's Cabinet Reshuffle

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

Venezuelanalysis - Jan 4, 2008
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news/3032


Chavez Announces Major Cabinet Reshuffle

by Kiraz Janicke

Caracas  - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced a "profound
restructuring" of his government, including the appointment of a new
Vice-President and changes in up to 13 out of 27 ministries in a
surprise telephone call to current affairs program Dando y Dando on
Thursday night.

Chavez presented the changes in the framework of a new phase of the
Bolivarian revolution which he has denominated the three R's; 'revise,
rectify and reimpulse [sic],' with an emphasis on the formation of the
new United Socialist Party of the Venezuela (PSUV), first proposed over
a year ago in December 2006.

The government will also focus more on "the concrete problems of the
people," such as the construction of housing, rubbish collection,
inflation, crime and food shortages Chavez said, "less theory, more
praxis."

The change in tack comes after the rejection of a series proposed of
constitutional reforms in the referendum on December 2, signifying
Chavez's first electoral defeat since he was elected in 1998.

Ramsn Carrizales, the Minister for Housing, will become the new
Vice-president of the Republic, Chavez confirmed, while outgoing
Vice-president Jorge Rodriguez, who was the co-ordinator of the
campaign for the failed constitutional reform, will be charged with
general co-ordination of the PSUV.

"I have met with Jorge Rodriguez and spoken about the PSUV, the
government and many other issues... Rodriguez will be dedicated
exclusively to the task of the party and the political battle," Chavez
said.

Minister of Telecommunications and Information Technology, Jesse
Chacsn, was appointed as the new Secretary of the Presidency, taking
over from Erika Farias, and Socorro Hernandez, president of the
recently nationalised telecommunications company CANTV, has replaced
Chacsn.

Another important change in the cabinet is the replacement of
Communication and Information Minister, William Lara, by Andris Izarra,
currently the president of Telesur and who previously held the
Communications and Information portfolio in 2005.

In light of the fierce opposition media campaign against the
constitutional reforms in the lead up to the referendum last year
Chavez also said it was necessary to examine the government's
communication strategy. In particular, the role of state owned VTV and
of Tves, (which assumed the public broadcast license of private TV
channel RCTV after it expired in May last year), which "hardly anyone
watches," should be assessed, Chavez said.

Izarra said today that Chavez's three R's; 'revise, rectify and
reimpulse,' should be applied to the Communications and Information
portfolio and proposed a plan of establishing a national nework of
community and alternative media to boost the "communication capacity"
of the revolution and combat the "savage" opposition media campaign.

Erika Farias will take over the portfolio of Popular Participation and
Social Development from former Communist Party member David Velasquez
and Jorge Pirez Prado, who was vice-Minister for Housing will replace
Carrizales as the new Minister for Housing.

In his new role as Secretary of the Presidency, Chacsn also announced a
series of further changes today including, the appointment of Ramsn
Rodrmguez Chacmn, co-ordinator of the suspended humanitarian mission
'Operation Emmanuel,' as the new Minister of Justice in place of Pedro
Carreqo; Haiman El Troudi as Minister of Planning; Rafael Isea to
assume the portfolio of Finances, and Rodolfo Sanz as new Minister of
Mining and Basic Industry.

Filix Osorio Guzman, president of Mission Mercal, a program which
provides government subsidized food, will become the new Minister of
Food and Victoria Mata was designated as Minister of Sport.

It is expected that Chavez will make further adjustments in the next few
days.

Chavez also called for an alliance of "patriotic forces" in the next
round of elections for governors and mayors set for October this year,
which would involve the PSUV, Homeland for All (PPT) and the Communist
Party of Venezuela and announced that the founding congress of the PSUV
would commence on the 12th of January. The congress is expected to last
one month and will decide the political program, structure and statutes
of the new party.