The National Assembly appointed the Defensor del Pueblo (People’s Defender), the Procurador General (Comptroller General) and the Fiscal General de la Republica (Attorney General). Together, the three departments make up the Poder Moral, a wing of the Venezuelan state that oversees the conduct of public officials.
The newly elected leaders of each department are:
- Defensor del Pueblo: Tarek William Saab (ex-Anzoategui governor)
- Procurador General: Manuel Galindo
- FIscal General de la Republica: Luisa Ortega Diaz (re-appointed to a new term)
Luisa Ortega Diaz, who has been the country’s attorney general since 2007, made some brief comments regarding her re-appointed, saying:
I have been re-appointed today to a new term as head of the Public Ministry. I guarantee my compromise with justice and the defense of human rights.
Opposition Deputies Abstain
Voting on the appointments today took place through a simply majority, contrary to article 279 of the Constitution, which states that such votes must be carried with at least 110 votes (or 67% of the chamber). To protest the flagrant violation of procedure, opposition deputies abstained from voting.
Throughout the proceedings, National Assembly President Diosdado Cabello mocked the opposition deputies, calling them “incoherent”, and sarcastically suggesting that they “try to learn something” about Venezuelan law sometime.
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