VOL. XLV

No 7

18 February 2002

VENEZUELA

Chavez Replaces PDVSA President AsPolitical Crisis Continues

President Hugo Chavez on 9February appointed Gaston Parra, a left-wing economics professor who becamevice-president of Venezuelas central bank in 2000, the new president of thestate oil company, PDVSA. Mr Parra, who worked in the oil industry in the1960s, is a close ally of President Chavez and becomes the fourth head of PDVSAsince Mr Chavez came to power three years ago. He replaces Gen...