Political Career
| Miranda State Governor Election, 2008 Results Source: CNE data |
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Following Chávez's 1998 electoral victory, he helped set up the pro-Chávez grassroots civil society organizations known as "Bolivarian Circles". He was head of telecoms regulator Conatel during the time the market was opened to competition. In May 2001 he became Chavez' chief of staff, and was appointed Vice President by President Hugo Chávez on January 13, 2002, replacing Adina Bastidas. 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.
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 the coup d'état when Chávez was kept prisoner and was consequently absent from office. Upon taking office, Cabello said that "I, Diosdado Cabello, am assuming the presidency until such time as the president of the republic, Hugo Chávez Frías, appears." A few hours later, Chávez was back in office. This made Cabello's presidency the world's second briefest, after that of Mexican President Pedro Lascuráin.
On April 28, 2002, Cabello was replaced as Vice President by José Vicente Rangel. Cabello was named interior minister in May 2002, and then infrastructure minister in January 2003.
In October 2004, he was elected to a four-year term as Governor of Miranda State. He lost the 2008 election to Henrique Capriles Radonski, and was subsequently appointed Public Works & Housing Minister. In November 2009 he was additionally appointed head of Conatel.
His wife, Marlenys Contreras de Cabello, also serves as a member of the National Assembly. His sister, Glenna Daboin, is a political scientist and current Counsellor of the Venezuelan Permanent Mission to the United Nations. His brother, José David Cabello, previously minister of infrastructure, is in charge of the nation's taxes as head of SENIAT, Venezuela's revenue service.
Read more about this topic: Diosdado Cabello
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