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| The master and two of his trusted servants |
This weekend, the more important figures of the Venezuelan state, the ones that have power, real power, were reporting to their colonial overlord, all together, in Havana. That the meeting took part, at least in part, at the airport so as to offer the excuse of "Look who just happens to walk by! Let's say hello!" does not diminish the crude reality that Venezuela is unbelievably a Cuban colony where the local appointees must go on occasion to report.
The four there were the four that matter in Venezuela, as far as anyone outside of Chavez matters.
Vice President Maduro, the appointed heir of Chavez. The one who, though some high court unconstitutional decision, has been allowed to remain in charge for the time being even though he cannot appoint ministers sign laws, etc... He can only manage current affairs and spend money, which after all is all that matters to chavismo.
Diosdado Cabello, the president of the National Assembly. Currently the only chavista with legal validity since his job was renewed for a year on January 5. His power resides elsewhere as he allegedly controls the army and had the Sukhoi fly over Caracas on January 10 to everybody's surprise and near panic, if we are to believe some tweets of people allegedly on the know. He is the lone rival that Maduro has for the Miraflores Palace when Chavez completes his exit from power.
Rafael Ramirez, the minster of oil and head of PDVSA. In a way he is the one with the most power in Venezuela because he is the one that knows, we think, where all the money obtained from Venezuelan oil exports goes/went. Since Venezuela is the most corrupt country in this hemisphere, Ramirez knows who got what and when and as such has all the necessary blackmailing tools he may need (though I am certain that he is as "blackmailable" as any inside chavismo). The thing is that Ramirez controls the money and as such his personal ambitions cannot be ruled out, the more so if Cabello and Maduro destruct each other.
Cilia Flores, the government lawyer. She is the one that told the high court how to rule last week to ensure that her companion, Maduro, remains in the vice president seat. That is why there is no need for the other powers of the state (TSJ, Poder Ciudadano, CNE) to show up in Cuba because none of their transcendental decisions is allowed unless approved by the government lawyer, which she currently is. However, for the matters to be treated in that reunion, she is not much more than a clerical secretary, but a mean one.
Thus you have it, the 4 more important figures of chavismo, the only ones that count at this time, reporting together to Raul Castro, the president/dictator of Cuba, who settles their differences, tells them what to do, checks on them to make sure he gets his check every month.
This is where chavismo has led us, not even a fight for democracy, a fight for independence. Might as well take the opportunity to appoint Maduro Vice Roy, or better, Capitan General de las provincias de Venezuela.
