The Cabinet of Delcy Rodríguez

Since assuming the interim presidency on January 5, just two days after the U.S. attack, Delcy Rodríguez has moved to reorganise the Venezuelan government, with frequent appointments. About half of the 33 cabinet roles have seen changes, including strategic areas for the country such as Defence, Hydrocarbons, Communications, and Electricity. In Defence, she breaks with almost 12 years of continued leadership by Vladimir Padrino López, Nicolás Maduro’s longest-serving minister.

Beneath the ministerial level, Rodríguez has also made notable changes. Within the armed forces, she has reshuffled the regional commands and appointed new heads of military counterintelligence (DGCIM) and the Presidential Honour Guard, which have different commanders for the first time in over a decade. In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she has completely overhauled the vice-ministers, placing a close ally who is not part of the ruling party to run relations with the U.S. and Europe: Oliver Blanco.

The new cabinet breaks with previous analyses of “power quotas.” Almost all the new roles are closely aligned with Delcy Rodríguez, including the new Minister of Defence, Gustavo González López. Most notably, there is a greater share of technocrats, or at least figures with experience in the areas they lead, at the expense of career politicians and military officers, who remain but in smaller numbers. In this category, we can find Calixto Ortega, Paula Henao, and Rolando Alcalá, among others.