On March 5 the FMLN and the Bolivarian Government in Venezuela announced a new joint venture that will help lower transportation costs in municipalities governed by the FMLN. The deal is part of PetroCaribe, an alternative integration plan put forward by the Hugo Chavez government; in El Salvador, it will "eliminate intermediaries and speculators in the fuel business and will stabilize supply and prices" according to the head of the Venezuelan Congress, Nicol