NEW NATIONAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT TO CARRY ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 CARACAS 002449

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SIPDIS

HQSOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD
DEPT PASS TO AID/OTI RPORTER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/18/2016
TAGS: PGOV KDEM VE
SUBJECT: NEW NATIONAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT TO CARRY ON
MADURO'S MISSION

REF: A. CARACAS 002348


B. CARACAS 000040

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Classified By: ACTING POLITICAL COUNSELOR DAN LAWTON,
FOR REASON 1.4 (D)

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Summary
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1. (C) National Assembly (AN) Deputy and hard-line Chavista
Cilia Flores was unanimously elected to the AN presidency.
She replaces her common-law husband, Nicolas Maduro,
following his resignation from the post on August 8 to assume
his new role as Foreign Minister. President Chavez once
again appears to have dictated who would lead the
legislature, and Flores immediately promised that the AN
would continue to support the Bolivarian revolution with the
"passion" and the laws it requires. We can expect more of
the same from the pro-Chavez National Assembly under Cilia
Flores' direction, including the systematic erosion of what
is left of Venezuelan democracy. End Summary.

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From Deputy to President...
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2. (SBU) By a unanimous August 15 vote, National Assembly
(AN) Deputy Cilia Flores assumed the AN presidency, replacing
her common-law husband, Nicolas Maduro. Maduro resigned from
the post August 8 to assume his new role as Foreign Minister
(Ref A). A staunch member of Chavez's party, the Fifth
Republic Movement (MVR),Flores won the position over several
other prominent Assembly figures, including the AN First Vice
President Desiree Santos Amaral and Pedro Carreno. The
latter served previously as the AN's Second President and
participated with Chavez in the 1992 failed coup attempt.

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...But Not Without Confusion
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3. (SBU) Considerable uncertainty followed Maduro's
resignation and the selection of a new AN president. Several
deputies told the local media that replacing Maduro was
"complicated," and that Maduro's departure caught many in the
Assembly by surprise. AN Second Vice President, Roberto
Hernandez, said that internal legislative rules governed the
selection process and that a new congressional leader could
be chosen by an Assembly vote or by promoting First Vice
President Santos to the position. Santos, Flores, and Pedro
Carreno emerged as the front-runners in the race for the
presidency during several days of speculation in press and
government circles.


4. (C) As with Maduro's appointment to the AN presidency in
January (Ref B),Chavez himself once again appears to have
dictated who would lead the body. By the time the decision
reached the Assembly floor, it was a forgone conclusion. The
MVR's National Tactical Command (CTN),headed by Eliezer
Otaiza, met on August 14 to discuss presidential election and
other issues. MVR sources cited in press indicated that the
CTN during the meeting made the decision on who should fill
Maduro's shoes, and in a press conference following the
meeting, Otaiza said that the individual chosen should
"follow Maduro's policies." The unanimous endorsement by the
AN followed on August 15.

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Early Signs of What's to Come
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5. (C) Upon her Assembly victory, Flores immediately
promised that the AN would continue to support the Bolivarian
revolution with the laws it requires, as well as bring the
"politics of the parliament closer to the street." In line
with Maduro's quest to ensure the opposition-less legislature
remains focused on helping to press Chavez's agenda rather
than on internal squabbles, Flores commented that the AN must
assume its legislative responsibility with "more passion" in
order to better serve the revolution. Flores also announced
that she would convoke special legislative sessions to
approve additional laws.

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All in the Family
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6. (C) Flores is Maduro's common-law wife and has been a
fanatical defender of the Chavez administration's legislative
program. She is expected to carry on a similar tradition in
her new role, and the head of the pro-Chavez Patria Para
Todos (PPT) party and AN Deputy, Ismael Garcia, rationalized
his nomination of her for the position by saying that he
wanted to provide "continuity and governability to the AN."
She supported the 2005 Penal Code Reform, for example, which
was designed to provide the BRV more tools with which to
repress political opponents and the media, and in November
2004 called on the Assembly to open a debate on "media
terrorism." Flores has served as the leader of the MVR bloc
in the Assembly. She has long-standing ties to Chavez and
his Bolivarian movement. She founded the Human Rights
Bolivarian Circle in 1993 and defended participants in the
1992 failed coup attempt.


7. (C) Flores also has substantial anti-US credentials to
go along with her new job title. In March, she led the
International Women's Day March that culminated in a protest
outside the US Embassy, where she delivered a petition
against "US imperialist aggression" and demanded the United
States withdraw troops from Iraq. Flores has also been part
of recent BRV outreach efforts--spearheaded by Maduro--toward
the Middle East and the recent diplomatic spat with Israel.
Flores went in early August to Syria and Lebanon, where she
and other AN deputies delivered a document "supporting the
struggle of these peoples and rejecting the current massacre
of innocent people." She is also reportedly a member of the
Venezuela-Iran Parliamentary Friendship Group, which was
established in February during the visit of Iran's
parliamentary president to Venezuela.


8. (SBU) Flores and Maduro have one teenage son, and she is
also the mother of three sons (ages 26, 17, and 15) from a
previous marriage, according to their bios. They consider
themselves to be "non-Catholic Christians."

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Comment
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9. (C) We can expect more of the same from the pro-Chavez
National Assembly under Cilia Flores' direction, particularly
given her given her close ties to Maduro and, by extension,
close ties to Chavez. We are likely to see in future
legislative sessions--and perhaps even earlier--the passage
of more laws intended to further erode what is left of
Venezuelan democracy and tighten Chavez's grip over all
political life. These could include the NGO law, the
National Police Law, and the Organic Law of Participation and
Popular Power. Her appointment is also another sign that
Maduro's radical anti-US faction is gaining strength in both

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the cabinet and the legislature, as well as a demonstration
of the AN's continued subservience to the MVR.

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