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Venezuela’s Delcy Rodriguez Will Change Minister of Defense, Ousting Powerful Vladimir Padrino in a Sign of Reform

March 18, 2026

Venezuelan officials, including a female leader and a military general, speak at a press conference against a blue background.

Venezuelan officials, including a female leader and a military general, speak at a press conference against a blue background.
Acting president Rodriguez will remove the man said to be the most powerful in the country, Padrino.

Padrino is a powerful old-guard Bolivarian, and his ousting says a lot about the reform in the Caribbean country.

The pace of reform in Venezuela appears to be quickening, as acting President Delcy Rodriguez moves to replace the feared General Vladimir Padrino as defense minister.

General Gustavo Gonzalez Lopez will now hold the position that Padrino occupied for more than 11 years.

Reuters reported:

“In a post on Telegram, Rodriguez thanked Padrino for his service and loyalty to the homeland and said he would be given new responsibilities.

Padrino directed the ceremonial section of the presidential guard under deceased President Hugo Chavez, but his star fully rose under ousted President Nicolas Maduro, who made him defense minister in late 2014.”

Rodriguez replacing the loyalist military chief is a result of her ever-closer relations with the Donald J. Trump administration.

Man wearing sunglasses and headphones, seated in a cockpit, focused on an aviation simulator or training environment.
After the capture of Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela is seing some signs of reform.

Fox News reported:

“Lopez, who is among several officials sanctioned by the United States and European Union for human rights violations and corruption, was appointed in January the new head of the presidential guard and the General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence.

[…] He previously worked with Rodriguez as head of strategic affairs at PDVSA, the state-owned oil company, which ​she previously oversaw as energy minister.”

Read more:

Reporter for Far-Left NPR Suprised by What He Finds in a Post-Maduro Venezuela: People Feel ‘Like a Weight has Been Lifted’

The post Venezuela’s Delcy Rodriguez Will Change Minister of Defense, Ousting Powerful Vladimir Padrino in a Sign of Reform appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.