Venezuela's Chavez names new cabinet ministers

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced six new cabinet officers on Saturday, making his ministerial picks known via Twitter just days after winning a new mandate. "Good day, dear world! Announcement: I have picked General Nestor Reverol to be my new minister for Interior and Justice. Efficiency!" the exultant leader tweeted from his @chavezcandanga account. Not quite a week after re-election, Chavez also named - among other appointments - journalist Ernesto Villegas to run the ministry of communications and public affairs; Aloha Nunez to the head of the ministry of indigenous affairs and Cristobal Francisco to the top post at the environment ministry. "Efficiency, or bust !!!!!" an emphatic Chavez wrote in a final tweet. The populist socialist leader, in power since 1999, won 55.26 percent of the vote last Sunday, against 44.13 percent for challenger Henrique Capriles, a businessman and governor of Miranda state. Earlier this week, Chavez named his foreign minister, Nicolas Maduro, to be his vice president, but has not, as yet, named a new top chief diplomat. Various members of his outgoing cabinet announced plans this week to run for office in gubernatorial elections to be held in December.