April 19, 2026

New Leader of Venezuela Carries Out 'Purges' in Power After Maduro's Overthrow - NYT

Acting President of Venezuela, Delsy Rodriguez, has carried out 'purges' in the upper echelons of power following the overthrow of Nicolas Maduro. This is reported by The New York Times, citing sources. The detentions are carried out without public explanation, but often with the approval of the White House, and sometimes at its direct insistence. Rodriguez likely does not make all the decisions herself. Several NYT interlocutors compared her position to 'a gun to her head': the US has repeatedly threatened Caracas with a new invasion if the authorities refuse to cooperate. In three months after Maduro's overthrow, she dismissed 17 ministers, replaced military commanders, and appointed new diplomats. Rodriguez oversaw the detention of at least three businessmen linked to Maduro, fired several of his relatives, and deprived most of his family of access to oil contracts, forbidding them from appearing in the media. In their place, she appointed loyalists or supported businessmen connected to her. Additionally, she opened access to Venezuela's oil and mining sectors to American investors. As the publication notes, the largest redistribution of power in Venezuela in recent decades has not brought more transparency or pluralism to the country's government, which remains authoritarian. The Venezuelan opposition states that Rodriguez is not trying to return the country to democracy, but is consolidating her own power.