Maduro Shakes Up Government while New Parliament Holds 1st Session

The opposition lawmakers elected in the Dec. 6 parliamentary elections now come to 112 thus giving the opposition the required two-thirds majority in the parliament.

The former ruling Socialist Party now has 54 lawmakers in parliament.

Maduro named 18 ministers and ratified 14 for a total of 32 posts including ministers and other government heads.

Maduro named Aristobulo Isturiz as the new executive vice president and Luis Salas as the economy vice president to head the Ministry for Productive Economy.

Jorge Arreaza, son-in-law of the late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez and former executive vice president, will now coordinate social programs and will also be minister of higher education, science and technology.

Meanwhile, in the first session of the new parliament, its new head Henry Ramos Allup swore in the elected opposition representatives of Amazonas state, Julio Ygarza, Nirma Guarulla and Romel Guzamana, whose credentials as parliamentarians had not been initially accepted in the parliament Tuesday.

Former speaker Diosdado Cabello told reporters the Socialists will file a complaint of contempt against the opposition in the Supreme Court which would result in the suspension of economic resources for the functioning of the legislative body.