According to the same source, the western province of Matanzas registered the best results since 6 of its 14 municipalities reported no death among under one-year old live births last year.

In Cuba, children are also protected since they are born without risk of contracting 13 preventable diseases, through immunization programs which have the benefits of a vaccines created by Cuban scientists.

The VaMengoc-BC anti-meningococcal vaccine is another of the achievements reached by the Cuban science in favour of children.

Jorge Rodríguez is a former president of the National Electoral Council (CNE), who declined a renewed candidacy for the post in March last year, amid speculation that he wanted to give the embattled CNE a chance to start anew with a fresh slate of directors. The National Assembly elections of December 2005, where the main opposition parties withdrew, were held during his stewardship of the CNE.

The 41 year-old Rodriguez has so far not held any post in the executive under Chavez. He is the son of one of Venezuela's more prominent left leaders, also named Jorge Rodriguez, who founded the political party Socialist League and who died while in custody by state police in 1976.

Chávez said that Rodriguez, along with other new ministers would be sworn in before his own inauguration on January 10.

The end of Rangel's role as Vice-President brings an end to a long and mutually loyal relationship which goes back to 1999 when he was Foreign Minister. After that he was Minister of Defense for a year from 2001 - 2002, after which Chavez named him Vice-President of the Republic. Chávez said his relationship to Rangel is like that of a son to a father. "The decision to relieve José Vicente was not easy for me because he is like one of those star pitchers," said Chávez.

Rangel is a long-time icon of Venezuela's left, who ran for president several times in the 1970's and 1980's, before supporting Chavez's run for the presidency in 1998. It was not clear what Rangel would do when he leaves the Vice-Presidency. Chavez merely stated that he and the other departing ministers would continue to form part of his government.

The replacement of Interior Minister Jesse Chacón comes shortly after 16 people died and 13 people were injured in a prison riot. Chávez did not say whether that was the reason for the removal of Chácon, but did not express the same regret he said he felt in relation to the Rangel's removal. He merely said that the changes were necessary to "refresh" the government so they could move on to the next stage, which he said was to fight, "bureaucracy, corruption and inefficiency."

Chávez also said that Rafael Ramírez would remain as Minister for Energy and Oil as well as President of PDVSA, the state petroleum company. Ramírez was criticized by the opposition during the election for reportedly politicizing PDVSA when he urged upper management of the oil company to unequivocally support the government's policies. Chavez praised Ramirez's stand, though, that PDVSA was now "Red, deep Red," in reference to his movement's color.

Finally, Finance Minister Nelson Merentes announced he will be vacating his position and will be replaced by Rodrigo Cabezas, who has been a member of the Venezuelan National Assembly since 1993.