(Bloomberg) — President Nicolás Maduro appointed Delcy Rodríguez as Venezuela’s new oil minister, while she continues to act as vice president.
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The move sees Hector Obregón step in as the new head of state-run Petroleos de Venezuela SA, replacing Pedro Tellechea, who will become industry minister, according to a statement shared by Venezuela’s information minister.
Anabel Pereira Fernández was named the new finance minister.
The shakeup comes one month after Venezuela’s disputed presidential vote, in which the electoral authority declared that Maduro was reelected for a third consecutive term. The results have been contested by the opposition, while some Maduro allies — including Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Colombian President Gustavo Petro — have urged the government to publish the complete voting tallies.
Rodríguez, 55, is one of Maduro’s closest allies, rising through the ranks in roles such as information and foreign minister, to become the government’s second-most powerful official. Her new appointment as oil minister sets her firmly atop the linchpin of Venezuela’s economy, as the nation’s recovery hinges on the speed at which it can boost oil production.
Maduro has reiterated a production goal for PDVSA of 1.2 million barrels a day that has yet to be reached.
Earlier this month, a leak from a broken oil pipeline from the El Palito refinery spilled into Venezuela’s Caribbean Sea, affecting 28 miles of coastline. The spill occurred after a pipeline feeding into a power station broke, leaking into a stream that leads to the sea.
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