The Venezuelan Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Production (Spanish: Federación de Cámaras y Asociaciones de Comercio y Producción de Venezuela) or Fedecámaras is Venezuela's main business union. It is formed by businesses that represent all economic sectors of the country.
Fedecámaras is composed of chambers of commerce (cámara in Spanish) in fourteen basic trade groups: banking, agriculture, commerce, construction, energy, manufacturing, media, mining, ranching, insurance, transportation, tourism, real estate and telecommunications. Additionally, 18 regional Fedecámaras chapters complete the organisation. Fedecámaras represents small, medium and large-size companies.
In practice, the intended function of Fedecámaras is to act as an organization observing and guiding these sectors of the Venezuelan economy, setting wages and working conditions within each respective trade. Fedecámaras enforces these conditions by several means, including strikes against their aggregate employees to enforce wages and conditions. The cámaras also seek to informally control the amount of competition they will allow into each trade by controlling membership, and the rights enjoyed by members.
This organization was at political odds with former Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. During a failed coup d'état against him in April 2002, former Fedecámaras president Pedro Carmona assumed the role of interim de facto president of Venezuela for two days.
Background Founded in 1944, Fedecámaras was formed with the main objective of protecting the free enterprise, by promoting the development and diversification of the country within a regulatory system that guarantees the rights of all individuals, and by defending its members and affiliates.
President and leadership The current leadership for the 2021-2023 period is the following: Carlos Fernández Gallardo is the president; Adán Celis Michelena is the first vice-president, Felipe Capozzolo is the second vice-president, and César Augusto Guillén Lamus is the treasurer.
List of past presidents Fedecámaras: Presidents of FedecámarasNamePeriodLuis Gonzalo Marturet1945–1946Domingo Navarro Méndez1946–1947Óscar Machado Zuloaga1947–1949Lope Mendoza G.1949–1950Silvio Gutiérrez1950–1952Luis Gonzalo Marturet1952–1953Ibrahim Velutini1953–1954Francisco Morillo R.1954–1955Feliciano Pacanins1955–1956Ángel Cervini1957–1958Alejandro Hernández1958–1960Rafael Echeverría1960–1961Armando Branger1961–1963Emilio Conde Jahn1963–1965Concepción Quijada1965–1967Alfredo Lafée1967–1969Óscar de Guruceaga1969–1971Carlos G. Rangel1971–1973Alfredo Paúl Delfino1973–1975Antonio Díaz Martínez1975–1977Carlos Vogeler Rincones1977–1979Ciro Añez Fonseca1979–1981Carlos Sequera Yépez1981–1983Adán Celis1983–1985Rafael Marcial Garmendia1985–1987Hugo Fonseca Viso1987–1989Eddo Polesel1989–1991Freddy Rojas Parra1991–1993Edgar Romero Nava1993–1995Jorge Serrano F.1995–1997Francisco Natera1997–1999Vicente Brito1999–2001Pedro Carmona Estanga2001–20022002–2003Albis Muñoz2003–2005José Luis Betancourt2005–2007José Manuel González2007–2009Noel Álvarez2009–2011Jorge Botti2011–2013Jorge Roig2013–2015Francisco Martínez2015–2017Carlos Larrazábal2017–2019Ricardo Cusanno2019–2021Carlos Fernández Gallardo2021–2023Adán Celis Michelena2023-present
See also Venezuelan coup attempt of 2002
References
External links Official site :es:Fedecámaras (Venezuela) http://www.fedecamaras.org.ve/quienes-somos/directiva/