The interim president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, dismissed on Wednesday Vladimir Padrino López, one of the closest men to the late Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez and the deposed leader Nicolás Maduro, as Minister of Defense and appointed General Gustavo González López in his place. “We thank G/J Vladimir Padrino López for his loyalty to the homeland and for having been, for all these years, the first soldier in the defense of our country,” the statement read. Previously, Caracas had rejected Washington's allegations that high-ranking officials are involved in illegal activities. The dismissed official, 62, is the person who has headed the Ministry of Defense of Venezuela the longest, for more than 11 years, CNN chain recalled. During his time at the Military Academy, he was a student of Hugo Chávez himself, with whom he developed a close relationship from then on. During the 2002 coup d'état, he was commander of the Simón Bolívar Infantry Battalion, stationed at Fuerte Tiuna. “We are sure that he will assume the new responsibilities that will be entrusted to him with the same commitment and honor,” expressed the head of state of Venezuela in her account on X, to which the Argentine News Agency had access. The replacement of Padrino López adds to the movements that Rodríguez has made in the government's leadership since she assumed as interim president at the beginning of January, following the U.S. military operation to capture Maduro. The deposed leader, against whom the United States offered a reward of US$ 50 million, is accused in New York of the crimes of narcoterrorism, drug trafficking and handling of weapons, charges that he rejects. Padrino López is also accused of drug trafficking in the United States, where the government offers a reward of US$ 15 million for information leading to his arrest. Subsequently, in 2012, he was appointed Second Commander and Chief of the General Staff of the Bolivarian Army. He assumed the leadership of the Ministry of Defense in 2014, during Maduro's presidency, to whom he was also close. On repeated occasions, Maduro praised his work, which in public appearances he described as a pillar of Venezuela's sovereignty. On that occasion, he remained loyal to the government of Hugo Chávez. In turn, while in office, Padrino López repeatedly expressed loyalty to the government and said that the Armed Forces would be ready to repel attempts at aggression. In contrast, non-governmental human rights organizations have pointed to him as allegedly responsible for the repression of protests. So did Human Rights Watch in 2017, when it located him as one of the commanders responsible for repressing that year's demonstrations. Who is the new Minister of Defense The new Minister of Defense had served as commander general of the Honor Guard Presidential since January 6, when he was appointed by Rodríguez. González López also served as director of the National Intelligence Service in two periods between 2014 and 2024. Among other positions, he also served as Minister of the Interior and Justice and commander general of the Bolivarian National Militia.
