Diosdado Cabello

Diosdado Cabello Rondón (April 15, 1963 - ) was chosen by Hugo Chavez as vice president of Venezuela. As such, he was responsible to both the president and the national assembly, and for the relations between the executive and legislative branches of the government.

Diosdado Cabello organized the pro-Chavez paramilitary organizations called "Circulos Bolivarianos".

On April 13, 2002, he took on the duties of the presidency on a temporary basis, replacing Pedro Carmona, head of the Venezuelan Chamber of Commerce, as interim president after Hugo Chavez was forced to step down. Cabello said that "I, Diosdado Cabello, am assuming the presidency until such time as the president of the republic, Hugo Chavez Frias, appears." (English translation courtesy the BBC; I don't have the Spanish text.) A few hours later, Chavez was back in office.

His background is in engineering: he has an undergraduate degree in systems engineering and a graduate degree in engineering project management.

External link: http://www.venezuela.gov.ve/ns/index.htm