LIFE IN THE RED ASSEMBLY NOT THAT ROSY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CARACAS 000237

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/27/2021
TAGS: PGOV PHUM ELAB KDEM VE
SUBJECT: LIFE IN THE RED ASSEMBLY NOT THAT ROSY


Classified By: Robert Downes, Political Counselor,
for Reason 1.4(b).

--------------
Summary
--------------


1. (C) Newly elected Deputy Francisco Torrealba, a pro-Chavez
union leader, told Poloff January 25 his initial impression
of the all pro-Chavez National Assembly (AN) is that there is
unity in objectives, but "discrepancies" on how to achieve
them. Deputies receive little parliamentary training despite
great needs, especially for those ill-prepared deputies who
won only as a result of the opposition's last-minute
electoral boycott. Torrealba said AN President Nicolas
Maduro worries that the lack of opposition will make the
deputies lazy, so he is pushing quickly for a strict code of
conduct for legislators. Torrealba sees the new AN's role as
providing social oversight ("controlaria") to shore up the
Bolivarian Revolution's shortcomings. He also hopes the AN
can perform a top-down reform of Fifth Republic Movement
(MVR) party structures in the states, which he said still
function on strongman models. Torrealba's frustrations are
perhaps a preview of the challenges of the revolutionary AN,
though we have no doubt that it will faithfully deliver on
President Hugo Chavez' top priorities. End summary.

--------------
Not Divisions, But "Discrepancies"
--------------


2. (C) Francisco Torrealba, a national coordinator in the
pro-Chavez National Workers Union (UNT),was elected a Fifth
Republic Movement (MVR) deputy from Portuguesa State in the
December 2005 elections, in which pro-Chavez parties won all
167 seats after opposition candidates pulled out. Torrealba
told Poloff and visiting DRL officer January 25 that he
foresees grand challenges for the all-red, revolutionary
National Assembly (AN). He said it is apparent from his
initial sessions that while all deputies strongly support
President Hugo Chavez, there are "discrepancies" on the form
their support should take. For example, he said that the
labor reforms that he, as a union leader, had hoped to
propose this year had already been pushed back for other
priorities dictated by AN President Nicolas Maduro. He
quipped that the "participatory" nature of the Bolivarian
Government at times seemed to mean "you will participate, and
here's how you will do it." He said the AN needed to find a
way to maintain its revolutionary objectives without
"silencing" the voices of deputies who might not agree with
some decisions.

--------------
The Lazy and "Accidental" Deputies
--------------


3. (C) Asked about Maduro's public chastisement of deputies
for using cell phones on the floor of the AN, Torrealba said
that Maduro is genuinely worried that deputies will become
"lazy" because there are no opposition deputies. That is why
Maduro has called for stringent internal regulations that
expand possible sanctions against members, Torrealba said.
Regarding training for new lawmakers, he said he received
only a brief lecture in the Protocol Office upon taking
office, but no formal training. He said training was
particularly needed for some deputies who were put on the
ballot in races where the opposition had been expected to
win. The opposition pullout, he said, has left the
Bolivarians with several deputies who are not trained or
prepared in the slightest for their new duties.


4. (C) Torrealba said Maduro's tough schoolmarm approach will

CARACAS 00000237 002 OF 002


probably affect his own international labor work. As a
member of the executive committee of the International
Transport Federation, Torrealba travels to Europe and New
York regularly. He said Maduro asked him to limit his union
activities so as to devote more time to the Assembly.
Torrealba lamented that this instruction would probably cause
him to drop out of an International Visitor Program (IVP)
arranged by the Public Affairs Section. Torrealba said
Maduro was aware of the IVP, but did not make the request to
limit international travel based on the fact the program is
related to the USG. He added, however, that he would like to
participate in the Boston Group, which he thought would give
him official cover for continued union contact in the United
States.

--------------
Deputies Versus Caudillo Mayors
--------------


5. (C) Speaking about his home state of Portuguesa, Torrealba
said he hoped to use his new position to shake up the local
MVR leadership, which he described as "caudillos," or
"strongmen." He said that despite constitutional mandates
for municipal and parish councils (he also called them by
their more revolutionary name of "popular assemblies") to
have input into resource allocation decisions, town mayors in
several states still maintained tight control of purse
strings. This, he said, was causing frustrations to grow at
the grassroots level, and demonstrated that the Bolivarian
Revolution had not changed much from Venezuela's traditional
practices of governance. Torrealba said he hoped the AN
could legislate changes that forced mayors to seek approval
from local councils on budget issues. He also added that he
hoped this measure would help him increase control of the
Portuguesa party apparatus to build support for his
gubernatorial bid in 2008.

--------------
Comment
--------------


6. (C) Torrealba is a longtime contact of the Embassy who put
aside his foiled aspirations to help lead an independent
national worker movement (the UNT) and decided instead to
reform the Revolution from within. He's hedging his bets,
however, by scoping out a gubernatorial seat. This probably
suggests he won't be able to rock the boat with the senior
MVR cabal that runs the AN. We suspect there are many
deputies in this position, owing their futures to the good
graces of senior Chavista officials. The possibility of
individuals creating a dissident movement within the Assembly
seems remote at best at this point.

BROWNFIELD