The militaristic nature of the Chavez regime
By Aleksander Boyd
London 26.01.06 | The following is a list of some military officers holding civilian jobs in Venezuela's executive, legislative and other institutions. Just to clarify possible misunderstandings regarding the 'democratic and socialist' nature of the Chavez regime. The list is not comprehensive. Up to 87 members of the army were/are part of the administration according to this report.
Ministers
1. Lieutenant Jesse Chacon, Minister of Interior and Justice
2. General Jorge Luis Garcia Carneiro, Minister of Defence
3. Colonel Ramon Carrizalez, Minister of Infrastructure
4. Lieutenant Colonel Wilmar Castro Soteldo, Minister of Comerce and Production
5. General Jose Rafael Oropeza, Minister of Feeding (Alimentación)
6. Captain Edgar Hernandez Behrens, State Minister for Development Financing, President of BANDES
Deputies to the National Assembly*
7. Mayor Francisco Ameliach, MVR Deputy for Carabobo
8. Captain Pedro Carreño, MVR Deputy for Barinas
9. Colonel Jesus Santiago de León, MVR Deputy for Barinas
10. Captain Victor Hugo Morales, MVR Deputy for Miranda
11. Lieutenant Nestor León Heredia, MVR Deputy for Yaracuy
12. Mayor Edis Alfonso Rios, MVR Deputy for Zulia
13. Captain Jesus Garcia Rojas, MVR (substitute) Deputy for Zulia
Governors
14. Captain Jesus Aguilarte, Apure state
15. General Francisco Rangel Gomez, Bolivar state
16. General Luis Felipe Acosta Carles, Carabobo state
17. Lieutenant Colonel Johnny Yánez Rangel, Cojedes state
18. Lieutenant Colonel Luis Reyes Reyes, Lara state
19. Captain Florencio Porras, Merida state
20. Lieutenant Diosdado Cabello, Miranda state
21. Captain Ronald Blanco La Cruz, Tachira state
22. Mayor Antonio Rodriguez, Vargas state
Ministerial Departments
Interior and Justice Ministry:
23. General Alcides Rondon Diaz, Vice Minister of Citizen Safety
24. Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Jose Rivero, National Directorate of Civil Protection and Disaster Administration (?)
Infrastructure Ministry
25. Mayor Francisco Javier Centeno, Director of the National Institute of Transit and Transport
26. Colonel Cesar Augusto Torres Chavez, Director of Transit (El Llanito office)
27. Colonel Orlando Rivero Bastidas, Director of the Regional Coordination Center in Portuguesa state
Foreign Office
28. General Arevalo Mendez, Vice Minister of Foreign Office
Minister of Health and Social Development
29. Captain Gilberto Perez Arteaga, Vargas state Directorate of Health
30. Captain Victor Gil Contreras, Tachira state Health Corporation
Finance Ministry
31. Lieutenant Carmen Teresa de Maniglia, Chief of National Treasury Office
32. General Alejandro Montes Estrada, Vice Minister of Regulation and Control
33. General Alfredo Ramon Pardo, National Budget Office
Environment and Natural Resources Ministry
34. Lieutenant Colonel Jaime Tortolero, Integral Security Directorate
35. General Romer Joaquin Mena Nava, President of Venezuela's Geographic Institute Simon Bolivar
36. Captain Norberto Diaz Garcia, Director of the National Hydraulic Laboratory
37. Colonel Guillermo Banchs Hernandez, President of the National Reforestation Co.
38. Colonel Jacinto Colmenares, Hydro-Southwest
39. Lieutenant Colonel Tirso Carballo, Technical Director of VENHEMET
National Electoral Council
40. General Ramon Santeliz, General Director of Assembling
Supreme Court of Justice
41. Colonel Eladio Aponte Aponte, Magistrate of the Penal Division
Independent institutes and other offices
42. Captain Jose Vielma Mora, Director of SENIAT (Venezuela's Inland Revenue)
43. Colonel Carlos Martin Peñalosa, General Administration Manager
44. Mayor Marcos Porras Sanchez, Infrastructure and Services Division
45. Colonel Noel Martinez Rivero, Custom and Excise Investigation Office
46. Colonel Helmenas Liscano, Customs San Antonio del Tachira Office
PDVSA
47. Colonel Dester Rodriguez, Internal Director
DISIP (Political Police
48. General Miguel Rodriguez Torres, Director
National Civil Aviation Institute
49. Colonel Giusappe Yofreda, Director
FONTUR (National Urban Transport Fund)
50. Mayor Luis Fernando Alvarez, Fleet Manager
COMDIBAR (Development of Barquisimeto Industrial Areas)
51. General Rafael Medina Abarca, Representative
MERCABAR (Food Wholeseller's Market of Barquisimeto)
53. Colonel Marcos Paz Sandrea
INAGER (Geriatric Institute)
54. Mayor Pedro Miguel Arroyo
CADIVI (Forex Office)
55. Lieutenant Colonel Leander Ayalon, board member
INTI (Land Institute)
56. Captain Eliezer Otaiza, Director**
MERCAL (subsidised food outlets
57. Mayor Luis Alberto Medina, Board member
Army officials in diplomatic posts
Brazil
58. General Julio Garcia Montoya, Ambassador
59. Rear Admiral Jose Gilberto Quintero, Consul in Belem do Para
60. General Jorge Luis Duran Centeno, Consul in Sao Paulo
Canada
61. General Jose E. Osorio Garcia, Ambassador
Colombia
62. General Carlos Santiago Ramirez, Ambassador
63. Colonel Raul Bolivar Blanco, Consul in Arauca
Chile
64. Colonel Victor Eloy Delgado Monsalve, Ambassador
Ecuador
65. Mayor Oscar Navas, Ambassador
USA
66. Mayor Antonio Hernandez Borgo, Consul in Miami
Dominican Republic
67. General Belisario Landis
Israel
68. General Angel Machado Almeida, Ambassador
Malasia
69. General Noel Martinez Ochoa, Ambassador
Germany
70. Colonel Cesar Osvelio Mendez, Consul in Frankfurt
Czech Republic
71. Colonel Jose Alberto Gomez, Ambassador
Switzerland
72. Vice Admiral Jose Miguel Sierraalta Zavarce, Ambassador
UN Geneva
73. Vice Admiral Bernabe Carrero Cuberos, Representative
*As of December 2005
**Due to an accident, whilst drunk, Otaiza has not returned to his job.
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