Diosdado Cabello RondĂłn (born 15 April 1963) is a Venezuelan politician and current member of the National Assembly of Venezuela, where he previously served as Speaker.
He became a leading member of Chavez’s Movimiento V República (MVR), and remains a leading member of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela, into which MVR was merged in 2007.
Governor of Miranda state from 2004 to 2008, he lost the 2008 election to prominent opposition leader Henrique Capriles Radonski and was subsequently appointed Public Works & Housing Minister.
In November 2009, he was additionally appointed head of the National Commission of Telecommunications, a position traditionally independent from the Ministry of Public Works and Housing.
In 2010, he was elected a member of parliament by his home state of Monagas.
In 2011, President Hugo Chávez named him Vice-President of Venezuela’s ruling party, the PSUV.
In 2012, he was elected and sworn in as President of the National Assembly of Venezuela, the country’s parliament.
He was elected President of the National Assembly each year until 2016.
He is currently the President of the National Constituent Assembly.
Often described as the second most (if not the most) powerful man in Venezuela, Reuters notes that Cabello possesses significant "sway with the military and lawmakers plus close links to businessmen." Despite serving as the leader of Chavez' party, his overall reputation is that of a pragmatist rather than an ideologue.