SAME FACES, DIFFERENT PLACES: BIOS ON CHAVEZ' NEW

C O N F I D E N T I A L CARACAS 000025 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/08/2018 TAGS: ECON PGOV VE SUBJECT: SAME FACES, DIFFERENT PLACES: BIOS ON CHAVEZ' NEW ECONOMIC MINISTERS REF: A. CARACAS 14 ¶B. 2007 CARACAS 1081 ¶C. 2006 CARACAS 887 ¶D. 2007 CARACAS 2381 ¶E. 2007 CARACAS 470 ¶F. 2007 CARACAS 149 Classified By: Economic Counselor Andrew N. Bowen for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (SBU) Summary: On January 6, President Chavez announced changes in eight key economic portfolios: the Ministry of Finance, Telecommunications, Planning and Development, Housing, Basic Industry and Mining, Light Industry and Trade, Food, Housing, and Social Development and Popular Participation. These appointments were part of a reshuffling that saw 13 cabinet positions change hands (Reftel A). Most of the "new" appointees have long track records as former ministers and/or Chavez loyalists, and several are closely linked to failed policies. Three of the eight new economic ministers are former or current military officers. End Summary. -------------- Socorro Hernandez - Telecommunications -------------- ¶2. (C) Socorro Hernandez has replaced Jessie Chacon as the new Minister of People's Power for Telecommunications. In May 2007, Chavez appointed Hernandez as the first President of the newly nationalized CANTV, Venezuela's largest telecommunication company (Reftel B). Hernandez originally proved her loyalty to Chavez in the aftermath of 2002 PDVSA oil strike, when she repaired PDVSA's crippled information technology systems. She received kudos for bringing the complicated system back online, and afterward served as the technology expert in the Presidential Commission for "Mission Ribas," one of Chavez' educational missions. Although she lacked management experience and has never worked in the telecommunications sector prior to her CANTV appointment, ExxonMobil representatives told EconOff that the IT people at PDVSA were the most competent members of the organization. Despite her new responsibilities, Hernandez will continue in her position as president of CANTV. -------------- Rafael Isea - Finance -------------- ¶3. (C) A longtime Chavez loyalist and former army lieutenant, Rafael Isea replaced Rodrigo Cabezas as the Minister of People's Power for Finance. Isea participated in the 1992 coup, and later served as an assistant to Chavez from 1995 to ¶1997. He received a Masters in Planning and Global development from the Venezuela's Central University (UCV), and later was appointed Venezuela's representative to the Inter-American Development Bank from 2001 to 2004. In 2005 he was elected to the National Assembly and in 2007 was designated as the President of the Social Development Bank (Bandes) and Vice Minister of Finance for Endogenous Development. During a January 7 press conference, his first as the Minister of Finance, Isea said, "We have decided to maintain the goal of 11 percent inflation in 2008; we aspire to succeed without sacrificing the welfare of any Venezuelan." Isea did not mention how the BRV would accomplish this goal considering official inflation was 22.5 percent in 2007. Local analysts have argued that Isea lacks the economic expertise and experience to cope with Venezuela's economic problems. -------------- -------------- Haiman El Troudi Douwara - Planning and Development -------------- -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Replacing Jorge Giordani as Minister of Planning and Development, Chavez' longest serving minister, is Haiman El Troudi Douwara, a systems engineer, author, and university professor, who previously served as the Director of the President's Office from 2005 to 2006. Widely viewed as a Marxist radical, the 37-year old El Troudi was the director of the Chavista think-tank, the International Miranda Center, and author of the 2005 book, "The Leap Forward. The New Phase of the Bolivarian Revolution." He has also served as the director of National Relations section in the President's office and was an advisor to the Ministry of Planning and Development. According to press reports, Haiman also directed a Libya inspired community center in Chavez' native Barinas state and now often accompanies the president on his trips to the Middle East and Africa as translator and advisor. (Note: Obviously of Middle East descent, we have nevertheless been unable to ascertain whether he has personal and/or family connections in the Middle East. End Note.) -------------- Jorge Perez Prado - Housing -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Jorge Perez Prado has replaced Ramon Carrizales as the Minister of People's Power for Housing and Habitat. Perez, a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army, was formerly the President of the National Housing Institute (NHI) and manager of the Autonomous Service of Rural Housing. The BRV has reportedly discussed eliminating both of these organizations due to their inefficiency. (Note: the BRV completed approximately one-third of the houses they promised to build in 2007, which is still viewed as an improvement from 2006. End Note.) However, during his January 3 appearance on "Give and Take," Chavez vouched for his new minister, saying that as an Army captain he knew Perez when he was a cadet playing centerfield and third base for the army's baseball team. -------------- Rodolfo Sanz - Basic Industries and Mining -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Rodolfo Sanz has replaced Jose Khan as Minister of People's Power for Basic Industries and Mining. From 2002 to 2004, Sanz, who has a degree in constitutional law, was the president of the National Presidential Commission for the control of bingos and casinos before becoming the Secretary General of the governorship of Miranda (2004 - 2005). Sanz most recent position was Vice-Minister for Latin America in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). His full resume, available on the MFA's website, indicates that he has no experience in mining or any basic industry. -------------- Felix Osorio - Food -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Chavez has tapped Felix Osorio, a Lieutenant Colonel in the Venezuelan army, to replace General Oropeza as the Minister of People's Power for Food. Osorio currently is the President of Mercal, the BRV's subsidized supermarket chain. Under Osorio, in 2007 Mercal was able to slowly increase the amount of food distributed per month through massive imports, but was unable to consistently stock the shelves as rolling shortages became more evident (Reftel C). Most observers view Mercal as having serious corruption problems. During Osorio's tenure, the number of corruption cases being prosecuted by Mercal's lawyers increased from 110 to 375 cases, according to the government controlled Bolivarian News Agency (ABN). -------------- -- William Contreras - Light Industry and Commerce -------------- -- ¶8. (C) At the Ministry of People's Power for Light Industry and Commerce (MILCO),Chavez replaced hard-core leftist Maria Cristina Iglesias with the current Vice-Minister of Trade William Contreras. At MILCO, Contreras was often the lead negotiator or representative for the BRV in Andean Community and MERCOSUR meetings. During his meteoric rise through the MILCO bureaucracy, Contreras' reportedly urged the firing of a MILCO employee for participating in a USG sponsored International Visitor Program. -------------- -------------- Erika Farias - Social Development and Popular Participation -------------- -------------- ¶9. (C) Erika Farias has replaced David Velasquez as the Minister of People's Power for Social Development and Popular Participation. Farias previously served as the Minister of the Secretariat to the Presidency, the Minister of Popular Power for Food, Vice Minister of Housing, and was the former national director of the radical Francisco Miranda front, a youth organization inspired by the Cuban Youth. Farias was removed from her job as Food Minister due to inefficiency and corruption charges (Reftel D). Contacts described Farias as "hopelessly incompetent" and "a 23 year old totally in over her head," who did not understand the forward contracts essential to purchase food for the BRV's Mercals (Reftel E). Despite corruption charges, Farias was appointed Minister of the Secretariat to the Presidency in November 2007, a position she held for about a month. DUDDY