 In May 2001, he became Chavez' chief of staff, and was appointed Vice President by President Hugo Chávez on 13 January 2002, replacing Adina Bastidas.As such, he was responsible to both the president and the National Assembly, and for the relations between the executive and legislative branches of the government.On 13 April 2002, he took on the duties of the presidency on a temporary basis, replacing Pedro Carmona, head of the Venezuelan Chamber of Commerce, as interim president during the "coup d'état" attempt when Chávez was kept prisoner and was consequently absent from office.