General Vladimir Padrino spent 11 years as defense minister and acted as a key ally of President Nicolas Maduro.
Published March 18, 2026
Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodríguez has announced that she will succeed General Vladimir Padrino, a key figure in the government of former President Nicolás Maduro and the longtime defense minister.
Rodriguez announced his resignation from the high-level position Wednesday in a post on the social media platform Telegram.
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“We would like to thank Vladimir Padrino López for his loyalty to his country and for being the first soldier to defend our country for many years,” Rodriguez said.
He added that Padrino would be given unspecified “new responsibilities.” No explanation was provided regarding the change.
Mr. Padrino’s resignation is the latest change at the cabinet level in Venezuela’s government since January 3, when the United States launched a military operation to abduct Mr. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
For example, in February, government ombudsman Alfredo Ruiz resigned, followed by Tarek William Saab’s resignation as attorney general. Mr. Saab then took over Mr. Lewis’s post on an interim basis.
All three officials have close ties to President Maduro and have been accused by human rights groups of contributing to the Venezuelan government’s crackdown.
Padrino, 62, has led the armed forces since 2014. Under his leadership, the military has faced accusations of corruption and human rights abuses, including violent crackdowns on demonstrators.
Critics also point out that the military’s influence extends to key sectors of the economy, including mining, oil and food distribution.
Last week, a United Nations fact-finding mission said Maduro’s government remains largely in place and there is little sign that it will be held accountable for human rights abuses.
“The complex legal and institutional mechanisms that incited and enabled the grave human rights violations and international crimes previously documented by the mission remain in place,” the group wrote.
Following Maduro’s abduction, President Rodriguez’s transitional government is facing pressure to implement reforms.
The government has already released hundreds of political prisoners and passed a general amnesty law, but rights advocates say the law has loopholes that could allow continued political repression.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump is using the threat of further military action to pressure the Venezuelan government to open its nationalized oil and mining sector to foreign investment.
The US is also pushing for control of Venezuelan oil sales, with President Trump claiming it has already taken out “hundreds of millions of barrels of oil.”
The U.S. Embassy in Caracas officially reopened last week after a seven-year hiatus under Maduro’s government, which took office in 2013.
Before the January 3 attack, Rodriguez was Maduro’s vice president. Although she has cooperated with the United States, she still called on the Trump administration to release Maduro and Flores.
In Wednesday’s announcement, Rodriguez indicated that Padrino would be replaced by General Gustavo González López.
Both Padrino and González López are facing U.S. sanctions over allegations of human rights abuses and corruption. González López previously served as Venezuela’s domestic intelligence chief and most recently ran the state oil company PDVSA.
