Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said he had appointed engineer Igor Gaviria as the new minister of popular power for electric energy.
Addressing the nation, Maduro thanked former electric energy minister, Luis Motta Dominguez for his service.
The president added that he had instructed the new minister to “prepare for new responsibilities in conditions of the revolution.”
The appointment follows the worst power outage in Venezuelan history that hit the country in March, when as many as 20 states of the country were left without power. Venezuela’s national electricity supplier, Corpoelec, said that the blackout had been caused by an act of “sabotage” at the Guri plant, which generates electricity for nearly all of the country.
Maduro said last week the ongoing blackouts proved that attempts to destabilize situation in the country continued. Caracas also accused Washington, which supports the country’s opposition seeking to oust Maduro from power, of being behind the attacks on the power plant.