Venezuela's interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, carried out a broad cabinet reshuffle that included the dismissal of Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez, who was a key pillar of the military's support for former President Nicolas Maduro.
Rodriguez said on Wednesday in a post on Telegram that the appointment of General Gustavo Gonzalez Lopez as the new Minister of Defense had taken effect immediately, and thanked Padrino Lopez for his "loyalty to the nation," expressing her confidence in the new responsibilities that will be assigned to him in the future.
This announcement comes more than 10 weeks after Rodriguez assumed the role of acting president of the country, following the US military operation on January 3, which resulted in Maduro's arrest and trial in the United States on drug trafficking charges.
The decision also comes amid mounting pressure from President Trump's administration on Maduro-aligned officials who currently govern the oil-rich nation.
Padrino Lopez is one of the longest-serving ministers in the government during Maduro's rule, which began in 2013, and one of the longest-serving defense ministers since his appointment in 2014.
The new minister, Gonzales Lopez, has extensive experience in intelligence and has faced US sanctions for his role in suppressing street protests in 2014. Since January 6, when Rodriguez reorganized her security team, he has served as commander-in-chief of the presidential guard and head of the military counterintelligence service (military intelligence).
Rodriguez appointed General Enrique Navas Rombos as the new commander of the Presidential Guard, and Germán Gómez Larres as director of military intelligence.
