VZCZCXRO7977
PP RUEHROV
DE RUEHCV #0237/01 0312027
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 312027Z JAN 06
FM AMEMBASSY CARACAS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2947
INFO RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA PRIORITY 5914
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PRIORITY 5120
RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS PRIORITY 0362
RUEHCP/AMEMBASSY COPENHAGEN PRIORITY 0011
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ PRIORITY 1593
RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA PRIORITY 9795
RUEHLI/AMEMBASSY LISBON PRIORITY 1287
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 0407
RUEHMD/AMEMBASSY MADRID PRIORITY 3020
RUEHMU/AMEMBASSY MANAGUA PRIORITY 0920
RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO PRIORITY 3538
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA PRIORITY 0538
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 0311
RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO PRIORITY 1665
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME PRIORITY 0543
RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE PRIORITY 0780
RUEHROV/AMEMBASSY VATICAN PRIORITY
RUMIAAA/HQ USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHUB/USINT HAVANA PRIORITY 0431

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CARACAS 000237 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/27/2021 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM ELAB KDEM VE
SUBJECT: LIFE IN THE RED ASSEMBLY NOT THAT ROSY 
 
 
Classified By: Robert Downes, Political Counselor, 
for Reason 1.4(b). 
 
------- 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1. (C) Newly elected Deputy Francisco Torrealba, a pro-Chavez 
union leader, told Poloff January 25 his initial impression 
of the all pro-Chavez National Assembly (AN) is that there is 
unity in objectives, but "discrepancies" on how to achieve 
them.  Deputies receive little parliamentary training despite 
great needs, especially for those ill-prepared deputies who 
won only as a result of the opposition's last-minute 
electoral boycott.  Torrealba said AN President Nicolas 
Maduro worries that the lack of opposition will make the 
deputies lazy, so he is pushing quickly for a strict code of 
conduct for legislators.  Torrealba sees the new AN's role as 
providing social oversight ("controlaria") to shore up the 
Bolivarian Revolution's shortcomings.  He also hopes the AN 
can perform a top-down reform of Fifth Republic Movement 
(MVR) party structures in the states, which he said still 
function on strongman models.  Torrealba's frustrations are 
perhaps a preview of the challenges of the revolutionary AN, 
though we have no doubt that it will faithfully deliver on 
President Hugo Chavez' top priorities.  End summary. 
 
---------------------------------- 
Not Divisions, But "Discrepancies" 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) Francisco Torrealba, a national coordinator in the 
pro-Chavez National Workers Union (UNT), was elected a Fifth 
Republic Movement (MVR) deputy from Portuguesa State in the 
December 2005 elections, in which pro-Chavez parties won all 
167 seats after opposition candidates pulled out.  Torrealba 
told Poloff and visiting DRL officer January 25 that he 
foresees grand challenges for the all-red, revolutionary 
National Assembly (AN).  He said it is apparent from his 
initial sessions that while all deputies strongly support 
President Hugo Chavez, there are "discrepancies" on the form 
their support should take.  For example, he said that the 
labor reforms that he, as a union leader, had hoped to 
propose this year had already been pushed back for other 
priorities dictated by AN President Nicolas Maduro.  He 
quipped that the "participatory" nature of the Bolivarian 
Government at times seemed to mean "you will participate, and 
here's how you will do it."  He said the AN needed to find a 
way to maintain its revolutionary objectives without 
"silencing" the voices of deputies who might not agree with 
some decisions. 
 
---------------------------------- 
The Lazy and "Accidental" Deputies 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (C) Asked about Maduro's public chastisement of deputies 
for using cell phones on the floor of the AN, Torrealba said 
that Maduro is genuinely worried that deputies will become 
"lazy" because there are no opposition deputies.  That is why 
Maduro has called for stringent internal regulations that 
expand possible sanctions against members, Torrealba said. 
Regarding training for new lawmakers, he said he received 
only a brief lecture in the Protocol Office upon taking 
office, but no formal training.  He said training was 
particularly needed for some deputies who were put on the 
ballot in races where the opposition had been expected to 
win.  The opposition pullout, he said, has left the 
Bolivarians with several deputies who are not trained or 
prepared in the slightest for their new duties. 
 
¶4. (C) Torrealba said Maduro's tough schoolmarm approach will 
 
CARACAS 00000237  002 OF 002 
 
 
probably affect his own international labor work.  As a 
member of the executive committee of the International 
Transport Federation, Torrealba travels to Europe and New 
York regularly.  He said Maduro asked him to limit his union 
activities so as to devote more time to the Assembly. 
Torrealba lamented that this instruction would probably cause 
him to drop out of an International Visitor Program (IVP) 
arranged by the Public Affairs Section.  Torrealba said 
Maduro was aware of the IVP, but did not make the request to 
limit international travel based on the fact the program is 
related to the USG.  He added, however, that he would like to 
participate in the Boston Group, which he thought would give 
him official cover for continued union contact in the United 
States. 
 
------------------------------- 
Deputies Versus Caudillo Mayors 
------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (C) Speaking about his home state of Portuguesa, Torrealba 
said he hoped to use his new position to shake up the local 
MVR leadership, which he described as "caudillos," or 
"strongmen."  He said that despite constitutional mandates 
for municipal and parish councils (he also called them by 
their more revolutionary name of "popular assemblies") to 
have input into resource allocation decisions, town mayors in 
several states still maintained tight control of purse 
strings.  This, he said, was causing frustrations to grow at 
the grassroots level, and demonstrated that the Bolivarian 
Revolution had not changed much from Venezuela's traditional 
practices of governance.  Torrealba said he hoped the AN 
could legislate changes that forced mayors to seek approval 
from local councils on budget issues.  He also added that he 
hoped this measure would help him increase control of the 
Portuguesa party apparatus to build support for his 
gubernatorial bid in 2008. 
 
------- 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶6. (C) Torrealba is a longtime contact of the Embassy who put 
aside his foiled aspirations to help lead an independent 
national worker movement (the UNT) and decided instead to 
reform the Revolution from within.  He's hedging his bets, 
however, by scoping out a gubernatorial seat.  This probably 
suggests he won't be able to rock the boat with the senior 
MVR cabal that runs the AN.  We suspect there are many 
deputies in this position, owing their futures to the good 
graces of senior Chavista officials.  The possibility of 
individuals creating a dissident movement within the Assembly 
seems remote at best at this point. 
 
BROWNFIELD