Weekly Report - 13 March 2008 (ISSN 1741-7422)

The Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela (PSUV), the single party unifying the different strands of Bolivarianism which is presided over by President Hugo Chávez , appointed a new 15-person party leadership committee from 69 candidates on 9 March. There was no place on the committee for any of the former military officers in Chávez 's inner circle, nor candidates from the more radical left. Instead, the committee will be comprised of moderate left-wingers: Aristóbulo Istúriz, an affiliate of Patria Para Todos (PPT) received the most votes, followed by Chávez 's brother, Adán, the education minister.