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