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Further changes are expected, people familiar with her plans said. Posts at state energy company Petróleos de Venezuela SA and the oil ministry are under review, the people said. Rodríguez continues to simultaneously serve as oil minister.
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She’s also expected to bring back longtime allies to key roles. Félix Plasencia, who attended a Friday meeting with Trump officials in Washington, is being considered for foreign minister or Venezuela’s ambassador to the US as the relationship between both countries improves, according to people with knowledge of the plans.
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Two influential but low-profile economists from Ecuador, Patricio Rivera and Fausto Herrera, who have been advising Rodríguez since at least 2019, are also playing key roles in the interim government, the people said. The men, who are key liasons for creditors and investors, both previously worked for their country’s former president, Maduro’s fellow socialist Rafael Correa.
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Rodríguez is also expected to sideline figures she has long clashed with, including Alex Saab, the Colombian businessman and Maduro confidant who currently oversees industry and national production, the people said.
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Once the situation stabilizes, changes to the armed forces could follow. Speculation over Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino’s possible retirement has resurfaced since Maduro’s removal, raising the prospect of further shakeups among the highest ranks of the military. The US has posted a $15 million reward for information leading to Padrino’s arrest or capture.
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For now, Rodríguez publicizes her meetings with Padrino, saying they’re discussing plans “to continue preserving peace” and thanking the armed forces for their “commitment to defending Venezuela’s calm and stability.”
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The political shifts are unfolding as the government continues to free prisoners in a process celebrated by Trump. Both Rodríguez and her brother, National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez, said earlier this week that the releases will continue, led by Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello.
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By Wednesday, 406 people had been released, including 194 freed in December under Maduro, Delcy Rodríguez said. Of the nearly 200 expected to be released this month, independent organizations have so far confirmed only about half, including US citizens and other foreigners. Cabello has personally handed over several high-profile international prisoners, according to one of the people.
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Rodríguez and Cabello have long had a tense relationship, but the two have appeared aligned in private meetings, the people said. Cabello publicly pledged loyalty to Rodríguez early on, and has often appeared together with the acting president and her brother in a show of unity.
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Cabello, a hardline Chavista power broker, appears to have tightened his personal security. His two television programs since the US raid were recorded outside their usual studio, and state television has delayed broadcasts of some of his press conferences, steps the ousted president himself took in the months before his capture. The US has put a $25 million bounty on Cabello.
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Behind the scenes, party leaders were given clear instructions.
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“Unity is the first thing that must be preserved,” some officials were told during a private meeting held days after Maduro’s capture, according to a leaked memo seen by Bloomberg News.
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So far, that message has shaped the image Rodríguez’s government is projecting.
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She’s “trying to prioritize unity over change,” Smilde, the Tulane professor, said.
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English (US)