Chavista re-elected to head the Legislature
Currently, the three main positions in the Venezuelan parliament are occupied by allies of President Hugo Chávez, who is hospitalized in Cuba "in delicate condition"; should Chávez be unable to attend his own inauguration, scheduled for January 10, Diosdado Cabello could assume the presidency if new elections are called.
247 - An ally of President Hugo Chávez, who is hospitalized in Cuba in "delicate" condition, the current president of the National Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, was re-elected to the position this Saturday, the 5th. "The oath we take today is that, as militants, we will never disappoint the people and we will be on our knees to defend President Hugo Chávez's proposal. I swear," Cabello stated after being re-elected.
Deputies Darío Vivas and Blanca Eekhout were chosen as vice-presidents; like Cabello, they are leaders of the PSUV (United Socialist Party of Venezuela), led by Chávez.
The election of the president of the National Assembly has gained importance in recent days, with Chávez's health deteriorating. If the president is unable to attend the inauguration on January 10, one of the main possibilities is that Cabello will remain in office until new presidential elections are held.
This Friday, however, Vice President Nicolás Maduro indicated that the inauguration ceremony could be postponed and that, even so, Chávez would continue to be president of Venezuela. He cites three articles of the Venezuelan Constitution that establish a power vacuum only in the event of the death of the current president.
During the session that re-elected Cabello, hundreds of people gathered in front of the National Assembly. The demonstration was held in response to Maduro's call for the population to defend the country's Constitution in the streets.