In a strategic move within the Venezuelan Executive, the president in charge, Delcy Rodriguezannounced this Monday, April 13, 2026, the appointment of the General in Chief Vladimir Padrino López as the new Minister of Popular Power for Productive Agriculture and Lands.
Padrino López, who until last March served as Minister of Defense—a position he held uninterruptedly since 2014—now begins to direct an area critical to the social stability of the country: food production.
According to the president, the General “Assumes the commitment to promote agricultural production to guarantee national supply and contribute to the country’s new diversified economic model”.
This appointment marks a new stage for the General in Chief, considered one of the pillars of Chavismo and who was a central figure during the regime of Nicolas Maduro. It should be noted that Padrino López has been subject to international sanctions; The United States included him on lists for corruption and drug trafficking, offering a reward of $15 million for his capture.
The transition occurs weeks after Padrino López was removed from his military position, being replaced by General Gustavo González Lópezformer director of the intelligence service. With this change, the Executive seeks to oxygenate public management.
For her part, the president in charge expressed her “Thank you to Julio León Heredia for his work at the head of this Ministry and who will fulfill new responsibilities”thus closing the cycle of the previous holder of the agricultural portfolio.
The General in Chief Vladimir Padrino López He consolidates himself as one of the officials with the greatest longevity in power, now with the task of reactivating the Venezuelan countryside under a vision of economic diversification.
