Diosdado Cabello, President of the National Assembly

Courtesy of: AVN

Long an ally of the Venezuelan President, National Assembly President Diosdado Cabello has also found his name put forward as one of the possible successors to Hugo Chávez.

Cabello’s relationship with Chávez goes back as far as the attempted 1992 coup, which landed them both in jail. Since then he has continued to rise through the ranks of Chávez’s party, serving as vice president, and even acting president during the 2002 coup when Chávez was ousted for two days. He loyally held the office only until Chávez was able to return.

The 49-year-old has served in a variety of cabinet positions under Chávez before being elected to his current post as President of the National Assembly. He is seen as a powerful leader within the PSUV and a trusted ally of Chávez.

Cabello has frequently appeared at Chávez’s side during public events. He is also known for his fiery tongue, and is often a leading PSUV member to publically contradict speculation about Chávez’s health. He is also a political attack dog, frequently launching scathing criticisms of the opposition. He has been on the defensive lately, however, forced to defend Chávez’s heavy use of the government media he insisted, curiously, that “Chávez is already in the streets” after questions emerged regarding when the president’s next campaign event would take place.

Analysts point out his background as a former soldier, like Chávez, could help him maintain ties with the military during the transition. Thus, even if he is not chosen as the next president, his support might be necessary to ensure a smooth and peaceful transition.

A short but fiery controversy sprung up in May when posters supporting Cabello for president appeared in Caracas. Although PSUV officials dismissed these posters as the work of provocateurs, their mere appearance, in addition to the fact that Cabello felt them worthy of a denial, shows that tensions do exist within the party.

Like the other successors, Cabello has neither the charisma nor the popular appeal of Chávez. In fact, polls show that he is the least popular among the leaders of Chávez’s party. In fact, he has actually already lost to opposition candidate Henrique Capriles once, in the 2008 campaign for governor of Miranda state.

He also has ties to the business community, which may hurt his image among the Chávez’s most staunchly socialist supporters. And recently, Cabello was also alleged to have ties to drug traffickers by former judge Eladio Aponte Aponte, further damaging his chances.

Given Cabello’s unpopularity among Venezuelans and ties to drug trafficking, his is perceived by some to be towards the bottom of the short list to be Chávez’s successor. However, his ties to the military and proven loyalty to the party practically guarantee that he will play an important role in any succession.