Jesse Chacón

Education

Jesse Chacón graduated from the Military Academy in 1987 obtaining a degree in Military Arts and was among the best of the Class “Tomás Montilla Padrón”. In 1996 he received his degree in systems engineering from the Polytechnic University of the National Armed Forces (UNEFA) with the honors of Summa Cum Laude. He also completed a postgraduate study in Telematics at the National Institute of Telecommunications in France and the Simón Bolívar University in Caracas.

He also took a basic and medium level course at the Institute of Communications of the National Armed Forces where he graduated with the highest honors.

While holding the rank of lieutenant he participated in the military insurgency on November 27, 1992 in Venezuela, which followed the rebellion on February 1992 earlier that year led by the then Commander Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías against the government of President Carlos Andrés Pérez. He participated in the occupation of the State TV broadcast station (VTV).

A Council of War sentenced him of 22 years of imprisonment but two years after the insurgency President Rafael Caldera ordered the dismissal of the process supported by an extraordinary measure that the Military Justice Code grants the President for reasons of national interest.

Public functions

Chacón was born on 9 November 1965 and studied Military Art and Sciences at the Military Academy of Venezuela (the 'Instituto Politécnico de la Fuerza Armada Nacional', or Polytechnic Institute of the National Armed Forces). As a lieutenant in the military, he participated in the November 1992 attempted coup (the second attempted coup of that year), for which he spent time in jail.

In 1999 Chacón worked at the General Administration of Operations of the National Commission of Telecommunications "Conatel" coordinating the working teams that prepared the Organic Law on Telecommunications and the National Plan of Telecommunications. In May 2001 he was appointed General Director of Conatel and during his tenure he had as main objective the promotion of the development and providing efficient telecommunications services.

During his work at Conatel it is noteworthy the enactment of the regulations of Community Radio and Television and national discussion of the bill of Social Responsibility in Radio and Television. Chacón chaired the meeting of Regulators and Operators of the Americas and Head of Venezuelan delegations in several meetings within the framework of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Inter-American Commission of Telecommunications (CITEL). He was also the Alternate Chairman of the Andean Committee of Telecommunications Authorities (CAATEL), the Group of Economic Affairs of CITEL and the Group of Radio Communications.

.In July 2003 Jesse Chacón was appointed as the first Minister of Communications. He proposed to expand the coverage of the frequency modulation (FM) in the whole country with more than 35 radio stations. Chacón also started the process of technological upgrading and adaptation of VTV, the restructuration of State News Agency (VENPRES) known today as Agencia Venezolana de Noticias. He unified the image of the Venezuelan government through the campaign “Venezuela Ahora es de Todos” and was Director of Communications for the option of “No” in the campaign for the recall referendum in 2004.

Chacon acted as Minister of Interior and Justice between 2004 to January 2007, under the presidency of Hugo Chávez. While in this post he achieved the creation of the National Commission on Police Reform (CONAREPOL), which surveyed the state of law enforcement in Venezuela and proposed reforms. The proposals led to the later creation of the Bolivarian National Police and Experimental Security University.

Jesse Chacón chaired the National Commission on the Penitentiary Emergency and the National Committee of Risk Management. He was the head of the Anti-Corruption Presidential Commission and Presidential Commission for Police Reform, as well as the new Administrative System of Identification, Migration and Immigration of Venezuela. He also guided the automatization of the Civil Registries and Notaries System and of the Police Coordination System and Emergency Response number 171.

On January 9, 2007 Chacón was appointed as Minister of Telecommunications and Informatics. During his administration the Venezuelan State could nationalize the provider company of phone and internet services CANTV, which allowed millions of Venezuelans to access land lines, mobile and internet services in an inclusive and fair manner. He coordinated the institutional transition after the end of the concession of the private TV broadcaster RCTV. Chacón designed the structure and put into operations the Ministry of Telecommunications and Informatics.

In January 2008 Jesse Chacón was appointed Minister of the Secretariat of the Presidency where he supported the administration of President Hugo Chávez Frías.

He held the post of Minister of Communications again between December 2008 and April 2009, which was named at the time Ministry of the People’s Power for Communication and Information (MINCI). Chacón was the head of Publicity and Propaganda of the Socialist United Party of Venezuela for the option “YES” in the campaign for the constitutional amendment.

In April 2009 Chacón is designated Minister for Science, Technology and Intermediate Industries until December 6, 2009. He submitted his resignation after the arrest of his brother Arné Chacón for his alleged links with an investigation started after the intervention of seven financial institutions in Venezuela.

From that moment on he became the director of the Grupo de Investigación Social Siglo XXI (GISXXI).

This is a foundation for research, training and publication of information about economic, sociopolitical and electoral contexts and their evolution prospects for decision-makers, academics and general public. Its ultimate goal is to contribute to the transformations and well-being of the Venezuelan society.

GISXXI coordinated several teams for the development of a wide research work composed by different thematic lines: sociology of taste, youth and culture, human rights, coexistence and security, conjuncture economy and strategic challenges, management models of socialist public policies, socio-productive model, as well as political analysis: conjunctures, participation and identities, strategic communication and social networks.

In February 2013 Chacón was appointed member of the Board of the National System of Youth and Children Orchestras and Choirs of Venezuela. He was entrusted by Maestro José Antonio Abreu to make visible the other facet of the foundation regarding its social contribution and its significance as a mean to include thousands of children and young people in the country.

On April 2013, Jesse Chacón is designated Minister of Electric Power. In this post he introduced the program “Gran Misión Electrica Venezuela”, which is composed by six guidelines: strengthening of the national electrical power system, power saving, financial sustainability, development of alternative power sources, sovereign development, a new management model and an investment plan.

In almost two years of Chacon’s administration 2935 MW of new generation capacity were installed and the reincorporation of 3260 MW into the generating system. 862 km of transmission lines were installed. The plan “Banda Verde” reduced the demand from 7.1% to 1.7% between 2013 and 2014. More than 49 million energy saving light bulbs were installed across the country. It was also achieved an institutional transformation and an organizational adaptation of the national electricity company Corpoelec and the settlement of 100% of the payroll debts.

Among the new infrastructure works there is the inauguration of important power plants such as “Luis Zambrano” (Mérida State), “Antonio José de Sucre” (Sucre State) and “Fabricio Ojeda” (Mérida State). Additionally, from 2014 until the moment he left the post Venezuela did not have to buy electrical power from Colombia which amounted up to 100 billion USD a year.

Thanks to a joint effort by Corpoelec and PDVS Gas, Chacón achieved the migration from liquid fuel gasoil to gas in thermoelectric units. A total of 21 units was enabled to use gas (app. 1390MW), which represents savings of 64 million gasoil barrels a year. Another important advancement was the reinforcement of preventive and corrective maintenance works in 28 generating units.

Regarding social work, Jesse Chacón together with Maestro José Antonio Abreu and Conductor Gustavo Dudamel started a pilot project in Corpoelec.

The “Núcleo Alberto Arvelo Torrealba” was the first initiative created by the Ministry of the People’s Power for Electric Energy to benefit children of the working staff as well as of the community. Then it was created the “Núcleo Armando Reverón” in the Corpoelec headquarters in Vargas State and another center under construction in Cumaná, Sucre State. Both “Núcleos” have a total of 1500 children and young people.

By the end of 2015 President Nicolás Maduro appointed Jesse Chacón as Ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in Austria with approval of the National Assembly.

Scholarships, awards and distinctions

Protección Civil Cross First Class, awarded by Protección Civil and Administración de Desastres. December 2006.

Alma Mater Medal awarded by the Military Academy of Venezuela. November 2006.

Medal of Merit for distinguished work in military health services bestowed by the Ministry of Defense and the Division of Military Health Services. September 2006.

“Francisco de Miranda” Order in its First Class. November 2006.

Diploma for outstanding services awarded by the National Experimental University of the Armed Forces. June 1990.

Diploma for obtaining the highest academic performance in the program of study Systems Engineering, awarded by the National Experimental University of the Armed Forces. June 1990.