Venezuela's acting president replaces long-time defense minister with intelligence head
Published on March 18, 2026.
Venezuela's acting President, Delcy Rodriguez, has replaced General Vladimir Padrino as defense minister, marking the most significant change yet in Rodriguez's cabinet. This comes after Gonzalez Lopez was appointed as head of the presidential guard and the General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence. This follows several sanctioned by the U.S. and EU officials for rights violations and corruption, including those of former President Nicolas Maduro. Despite this, the United Nations has stated that Venezuela's repressive apparatus remains intact.
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