The interim president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, announced this Friday three new ministerial changes in the areas of Transport, Ecosocialism, and Communication, eleven days after assuming leadership of the Executive following the capture of Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces. On her Telegram account, Rodríguez reported the appointment of Freddy Ñáñez, until now head of Communication and Information, as Minister for Ecosocialism, replacing Aníbal Coronado. Coronado, in turn, was named as the new Minister of Transport, a position held by Ramón Velásquez Araguayán, to whom Rodríguez thanked for his 'commitment' and his 'work'. Likewise, to fill Ñáñez's vacancy, the interim head of state announced the appointment of philosopher Miguel Ángel Pérez Pirela as the new Minister of Communication and Information. These appointments add to other ministerial and government changes previously announced, including the appointment as Minister of the Presidential Office of Captain Juan Escalona, a member of President Nicolás Maduro's security team. Rodríguez had also announced on January 6, three days after Maduro's capture, the appointment of former Central Bank President Calixto Ortega as the new vice president of sectoral economy. That same day, she also dismissed the head of Maduro's Security, Major General Javier Marcano Tábata, and appointed General Gustavo González López in his place as commander of the Presidential Honor Guard and head of the Directorate General of Military Counterintelligence (DGCIM). Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as interim president on January 5 before the National Assembly (AN, Parliament), which is led by her brother, Deputy Jorge Rodríguez. The Chavista leader assumed this role following an order from the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ), after the capture of President Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, during the U.S. attacks in Caracas and three other states. Since then, the interim government has initiated an 'exploratory' process to resume relations with the United States and has agreed to send millions of barrels of crude oil to the U.S.
