Delcy Rodríguez changes the Venezuelan government and institutions

After twelve years at the helm of Venezuela's Ministry of Defense, Vladimir Padrino López left his post this week. It was neither a random nor an isolated change: President Delcy Rodríguez dismissed him, adding him to the growing list of key Chavista figures who have been removed from their positions. Since January, Nicolás Maduro's successor has implemented 13 changes in the executive branch, in addition to the dismissal of the attorney general and several military officials. The changes driven by Rodríguez aim to place more technically skilled individuals at the head of key ministries and institutions, although the shift is not always so clear. The replacements do not necessarily diminish Chavismo's power, but rather focus on installing people trusted by the new president, belonging to what is known in the country as "enlightened Chavismo," comprised of figures with more technical than military backgrounds. Several analysts point out that, while some changes might be motivated by a desire to present himself to the international community as an innovative administration in contrast to Maduro's, most are explained more by an attempt to maintain control of institutions and avoid internal divisions. In this way, Rodríguez is trying to survive in an extremely complex situation, where he must carefully measure his actions to avoid overstepping the ideological boundaries of Chavismo, secure the support of powerful circles, and, at the same time, appear sufficiently open to the demands of the United States. The case of the Ministry of Defense is paradigmatic: he replaces a key figure from the Maduro era in the government, but instead of appointing an innovative candidate, he designates Gustavo González López, a military intelligence specialist close to Diosdado Cabello, the Minister of the Interior, and Nicolás Maduro. Furthermore, the new Minister of Defense is also linked to the Rodríguez siblings (the country's president, Delcy Rodríguez, and the president of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez). González López, sanctioned since 2015 by the United States and the European Union for human rights violations during his tenure as Interior Minister, faces the challenge of restoring the prestige of a ministry particularly damaged after the US attack. Several sources have publicly stated that US soldiers entered and advanced into the country without encountering significant Venezuelan military resistance. In fact, the security cordon they had the most difficulty overcoming, according to this information, was that of the Cuban military, which was carrying out security operations for the Chavista regime—a fact that cast doubt on López's position. Reduction of ties with Maduro

On the same day she announced the change to the Ministry of Defense, Rodríguez also ordered changes in ministries such as Labor, Transportation, Electric Power, and Higher Education. These portfolios are now mostly headed by figures who, while still Chavistas, have a more technocratic profile. They are also considered ideologically close—and some personally close—to Delcy Rodríguez, who, during her time as vice president, promoted measures to relax certain economic laws, always within the ideological framework of Chavismo. One of the names Rodríguez has also removed, and who is clearly linked to Maduro and singled out by the US, is Alex Saab, who until January was Minister of Industries and National Commerce. The new president dismissed him a few days after taking office, amid accusations from Washington—and from former Venezuelan Attorney General Luisa Ortega Díaz—that he is Maduro's main front man. Besides being dismissed, he hasn't been seen in public for weeks. The US is requesting his extradition, and several media outlets, such as the New York Times They indicate that he will be detained in Venezuela from the beginning of February.

While Maduro also changed his cabinet on several occasions, Rodríguez is doing so in a much more compressed timeframe and dispensing with people who in several cases had been in their positions for years. The changes also extend beyond the government. In January, Tarek William Saab, a key figure during the Maduro era, resigned as Attorney General after nearly a decade in the position. In the Attorney General's Office, Maduro's successor has now placed Larry Devoe, a lawyer close to her who, since January, has been part of the Program for Peace and Democratic Coexistence created by the Chavista administration after the US attack.

In the military sphere, Rodríguez has also made changes. In January, she implemented several replacements, appointing new commanders and positions within the Venezuelan armed forces. And this week, the interim president made new appointments to military counterintelligence and the Presidential Honor Guard, filling positions left vacant by the election of the new defense minister—positions crucial for maintaining her domestic support.