José Vicente Rangel

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José Vicente Rangel
Vice President of Venezuela
In office
14 April 2002 – 3 January 2007
PresidentHugo Chavez
Preceded byDiosdado Cabello
Succeeded byJorge Rodriguez
Minister of Defense
In office
14 February 2001 – 14 April 2002
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela
In office
2 February 1999 – 14 February 2001
PresidentHugo Chavez
Preceded byMiguel Ángel Burelli Rivas
Succeeded byLuis Alfonso Dávila
Personal details
Born
José Vicente Rangel Vale

(1929-07-10)10 July 1929
Caracas, Venezuela
Died18 December 2020(2020-12-18) (aged 91)
Caracas, Venezuela
Political partyMovement for Socialism (former)
SpouseAna Ávalos
ProfessionLawyer and Journalist

José Vicente Rangel Vale (10 July 1929 – 18 December 2020) was a Venezuelan politician and journalist. He ran for president three times in the 1970s and 1980s and later supported Hugo Chávez. He served under Chávez as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1999 to 2001, as Minister of Defense from 2001 to 2002, and as the vice president from 2002 to 2007.

Political activism[edit]

Born in Caracas, he returned to Venezuela following the downfall of the dictatorship of Marcos Pérez Jiménez in 1958 and was elected to the Congress that same year, representing the Democratic Republican Union (Unión Republicana Democrática, URD). In addition to his political activities, he worked as a lawyer and journalist. He also made presidential bids on three occasions: in the 1973 presidential election and 1978 presidential election as candidate of MAS – Movimiento al Socialismo (Movement for Socialism), and in the 1983 presidential election as candidate of MEP – Movimiento Electoral del Pueblo.

Journalist[edit]

In 1990, Rangel re-entered journalism, contributing to a range of newspapers as a columnist (including El Universal, Panorama, El Informador, La Tarde, El Regional, 2001). In the 1960s he was editor of the weekly Qué Pasa en Venezuela (1960–67) and of the dailies La Razón and Clarín.[1]

Rangel played a role in the 1993 impeachment of President Carlos Andrés Pérez, being the first to publish (in November 1992) the corruption allegations which would ultimately be endorsed by the Supreme Court. On 20 May 1993, the Supreme Court considered the accusation valid, and the National Congress removed Pérez from office. He was imprisoned and sentenced to two years of prison on May, 1994 for malversation of funds of the so-called secret fund.[2] For many years he has held a political opinion show on Televen called "José Vicente Hoy".[citation needed]

Political career[edit]

Hugo Chávez chose Rangel to serve as his Minister of Foreign Affairs when he took office as president in February 1999.[3] Rangel served in that position until early February 2001, when Chávez instead appointed him as Minister of Defence, replacing General Ismael Hurtado. Rangel was the first civilian to serve as Defense Minister in decades.[4][5]

After a little more than a year as Minister of Defense, Rangel became vice-president in May 2002, replacing Diosdado Cabello. On 3 January 2007, Chávez announced that Rangel would be replaced as vice president by Jorge Rodríguez. Chávez said that the decision was "not easy", and that he regarded Rangel "with the same respect and affection as a son would a father", but did not explain the reasoning behind the decision.[citation needed] At the swearing in ceremony for the new cabinet on 8 January, Rangel said that he was leaving the government, but not the revolution. He and Rodríguez exchanged praise, with the latter saying that Rangel was the first person he had ever voted for, in the 1983 election.[citation needed]

Personal life and death[edit]

Rangel was the author of Expediente Negro, an investigation of human rights violations in Venezuela in the 1960s and 1970s. His son, José Vicente Rangel Ávalos, has also been involved in Venezuelan politics, having been mayor of the Sucre District in Caracas.[citation needed] Rangel died of cardiac arrest on 18 December 2020. He was 91 years old.[6]

Books[edit]

  • Expediente Negro, Caracas: Editorial Fuentes, 1972
  • Tiempo de Verdades, Caracas: Ediciones Centauro, 1973 – a selection of Rangel's press contributions
  • Rangel et al., Militares y política (una polėmica inconclusa), Caracas: Ediciones Centauro, 1976
  • Seguridad, defensa, democracia: Un tema para cíviles y militares, Caracas: Ediciones Centauro, 1980
  • Socialismo y Democracia
  • La Administración de Justicia en Venezuela

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Televen, Rangel Archived 18 March 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Pérez second period review at venezuelavirtual.com Archived 29 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "Ex-coup leader promises 'peaceful revolution' in Venezuela" Archived 21 February 2005 at the Wayback Machine, CNN.com, 1 February 1999.
  4. ^ "Venezuela gets civilian defence minister", BBC News, 2 February 2001.
  5. ^ "Venezuelan cabinet reshuffle", BBC News, 4 February 2001.
  6. ^ "Muere periodista y exvicepresidente de Venezuela José Vicente Rangel". Reuters. Archived from the original on 17 April 2023.
Political offices
Preceded by Vice President of Venezuela
2002–2007
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Venezuelan Minister of Defense
2001–2002
Succeeded by
Preceded by 180th Venezuelan Minister of Foreign Affairs
2 February 1999 – 14 February 2001
Succeeded by