Venezuela's Vice President, Energy Minister Sworn InAdina Bastida and Alvaro Silva Dalderon were sworn in Thursday as Venezuela's new vice president and energy minister to replace incumbents Isaias Rodriguez and Ali Rodriguez respectively.Adina Bastidas, a graduate of the Central University of Venezuela, was appointed by President Hugo Chavez on Sunday. Shortly after the swear-in ceremony, Bastidas assured that she will continue to defend the oil policy and the band system and that she will push for the unification of all Venezuelan sectors. The new vice president also urged women to fight on all fronts, from the home place to the work place, and committed herself to reactivate the economy and free it from monopolies. Silva Calderon, 71, has been deputy energy minister under Ali Rodriguez, who will become the secretary general of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) on January 1, 2001. Calderon, appointed by the President on Wednesday, indicated after the appointment that the defense of oil prices continues to be an important pillar of the oil policy in Venezuela, the third largest crude oil exporter in the world. Oil accounts for about 75 percent of Venezuela's exports, almost half of its revenues and more than 30 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP). |
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