First Meeting of the Federal Government Council Involves Opposition, Elects Secretariat

During the first plenary session of the Federal Government Council, President Chavez welcomed the governors of the opposition, whom he urged to work for the Venezuelan people.

May 14th, 2010 (RNV) – During the first plenary session of the Federal Government Council, President Chavez welcomed the governors of the opposition, whom he urged to work for the Venezuelan people.

“Welcome to the opposition governors. I think the opposition hasn’t been in here since 12 April 2002. Welcome, now without guns or shouts of war and final battles. Time to work, that’s what we’ve been elected for,” said the head of state at the start of the event.

Revolutionary governors from all states were present at the Federal Government Council, along with those of the opposition: the governor of Lara, Henry Falcon; the governor of Miranda; Henrique Capriles Radonski; the governor of Tachira, Cesar Perez Vivas; the governor of Zulia, Pablo Perez, and the governor of Nueva Esparta, Morel Rodriguez.

The president made a call to the political opposition to, “take on this constitutional setting, I greet all the governors, without exception, and in a very special way to the opposition governors.”

“If you were all elected governors, here you have a president that is ready to work with you, all I ask for is respect because I’m the head of state. Now if the parties that you all belong to go about calling for a coup, what am I going to do?” the president said.

Chavez said the Federal Government Council should provide those from the opposition with a space to release pressure and as a means for serious criticising and self-criticising. He said he hopes that they would continue attending the meetings with the national government, “not like that time that Morel (Rodriguez) went to one meeting and never came back.”

Likewise, he reminded the governor of Miranda state, Henrique Capriles, that the revolutionary government was the first to recognise the results of the regional elections.

“We should be public servants of a people, and believe me, I want to help you all and place myself at your service, just like the representative powers of the people,” assured commander Chavez.

As the meeting came to an end, Chavez spoke briefly with the opposition governors present at the meeting.

The Government Federal Council is a proposal by the revolutionary process, by the government of President Chavez, that is appointed to create instruments for productive development of the various regions, but from a socialist perspective, not to strengthen external economic groups.

In the first session of the Government Federal Council that took place on Friday morning, governors and mayors were elected to form the secretariat of this government organisation.

Those elected were, William Lara, governor of Guarico; Estela Lugo, governor of Falcon state; Enrique Maestre, governor of Sucre state; Amalia Saenz, mayor of Barquisimeto; Luis Caldera, mayor of Mara municipality in Zulia state; and Marisel Velasquez, mayor in Nuevo Esparta state, to form the secretariat of the Government Federal Council.

Translated by Tamara Pearson for Venezuelanalysis.com