The head of the Government of Caracas dies from covid-19

Darío Vivas during a session of the Venezuelan National Assembly, in Caracas, in 2019.Rayner Peña / EFE

The head of Government of Caracas, the senior Chavista leader Darío Vivas, died this Thursday from causes related to covid-19, less than a month after announcing that he suffered from the disease.

"It is with deep regret that we receive the unfortunate news of the death of good friend Darío Vivas, a full-fledged revolutionary, with whom we have shared courageous struggles in the streets of Caracas since the 1980s in defense of the people and the homeland," confirmed the attorney general, Tarek Saab, also a veteran Chavista leader, on his Twitter account.

Vivas, 70, reported on July 19 that he had contracted the virus and was isolated in a medical center. He also announced that he was entrusted to Dr. José Gregorio Hernández, considered a saint among Venezuelans and whose beatification was recently approved by Pope Francis. "He died in combat, doing a good deed of life, taking care of the health and life of all of us in this tough battle against the pandemic," wrote Delcy Rodríguez, the vice president of Venezuela.

This Wednesday the Minister of Information of the Government of Maduro, Jorge Rodríguez, announced his positive for covid-19, who joined a dozen high officials and governors who have been infected, including Diosdado Cabello, the number two of Chavismo and president of the National Constituent Assembly, and Tareck El Aissami, Minister of Petroleum.

The position he held as head of government is parallel to that of the mayor of the capital and is appointed directly by the president, since Caracas has a special regime and a government system constituted by an Executive body, whose legislative function is to office of Parliament.

As head of Government, Vivas had to exercise the administration of the organs and officials of the Caracas administration, as well as the direction, coordination and control of the Government organisms.

The politician was also a member of the National Constituent Assembly, a body composed solely of Chavistas and not recognized by the international community, which is why he has been sanctioned by the United States and Canada.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro had commissioned Vivas, in his capacity as leader of the ruling Unified Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), to organize medical brigades made up of his co-supporters to locate patients with covid-19 and not by doctors of the Ministry of Health.