Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has brought back to his Cabinet two close allies after they lost elections for important regional posts, a sign of the socialist leader's reliance on his most trusted collaborators.
Former Vice President Diosdado Cabello was named infrastructure minister in the government gazette on Friday, while former Interior Minister Jesse Chacon was named information minister. Cabello last served as governor in the heavily populated state of Miranda which includes much of the capital Caracas, but lost the post in elections in November. Chacon ran for mayor of an important Chavez stronghold, but lost. Like former paratrooper Chavez, both men are retired soldiers and they helped him in his first bid for power -- a failed coup in 1992. They have held several key Cabinet jobs.
Most of Chavez's inner circle are trusted long-term collaborators who have proved their loyalty over the years. He rarely brings new blood into his Cabinet, preferring to shuffle a handful of officials between key posts.
The practice of selecting allies based on loyalty has been especially noticeable since a coup pushed Chavez from power for two days in 2002. Cabello, who was vice president at the time, was sworn in as temporary president for a few hours as the coup collapsed and Chavez was being brought back from custody. Chavez supporters consider Cabello to be on the right of the movement. One radical former Chavez ally was sidelined after publicly accusing Cabello of corruption.
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