Ali Rodriguez Araque
PEOPLE PROFILE is part of the Latinnews Daily service. Published every Tuesday,
People Profile and describes the professional background of key people emerging on the political and economic scene.
Who is ALI RODRIGUEZ ARAQUE?
President of the state oil company PDVSA.
Why watch him?
PDVSA is the bulwark of Venezuela's economy but is threatened by the constant draining of its funds to the state.
THE FILE
Born:
9 September 1937 Ejido, Merida state, Venezuela.
Education:
He graduated in law from the Universidad Central de Venezuela in 1961. He went on to study economics at the Universidad de los Andes.
Public life:
He picked up a reputation in the 1960s and 1970s as a leftist guerrilla leader of the Frente José Leonardo Chirinos.
Timeline:
1983
Member of congress. Member of the national energy council and member of the Latin American energy and mines committee.
1994/7
President of the parliamentary committee of energy and mines in the lower chamber. Vice-president of the bicameral committee of energy and mines, with responsibility for the analysis and approval of proposals to open Venezuela's oil market to foreign contracts.
1997
Publishes various articles on public policy in the field of energy, such as 'Privatisation Process of the Oil Industry in Venezuela'.
1999
Member of the transitional committee of President Hugo Chávez 's energy and mines programme.
1999-2000
Minister of energy and mines.
1999-2004
Elected senator to represent Bolívar state..
2001-June 2002
Secretary-general of OPEC.
June 2002-
President of PDVSA.
Strong points:
Rodríguez is a close associate of President Hugo Chávez . His leftist past has positioned him close to the ideological centre of the Chávez government. As president of PDVSA, which generates more than 30% of GDP, Rodríguez is the second most important figure in Venezuela.
Weak points:
He is despised by the majority of the managerial and technical employees at PDVSA. Many of these white-collar workers were laid off after having supported the coup attempt against Chávez last year. The remainder, who continue to feel persecuted, have refused to cooperate with Rodríguez, putting the company in operational difficulties.
Prospects:
There are rumours that Rodríguez is going to be removed for failing to strike a consensus between workers and the government. However, he still has considerable influence over President Chávez and could play a key role in the unfolding political situation. He has a tough task ahead of him, with PDVSA suffering from chronic disinvestment and the truce between the government and PDVSA workers looking increasingly uneasy.