In the latest cabinet change since the election campaign, Colombian businessman Alex Saab will become the new industry minister.
Alex Saab, an ally of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro who was freed in a prisoner exchange with the United States last year, will join the Venezuelan government as the new industry minister.
President Maduro announced on Friday that Pedro Telechea would be replaced by Saab, a Colombian businessman previously imprisoned in the United States on money laundering charges.
Telechea said in a social media post that he had made the “difficult decision” to resign due to “health issues that require immediate attention.”
The change is President Maduro’s latest cabinet change. President Maduro reshuffled his cabinet in August amid political turmoil after the opposition claimed his defeat despite claiming victory.
President Maduro said on the messaging app Telegram that Saab would help realize the “development of Venezuela’s entire industrial system” under a “new economic model.”
Saab was returned to Venezuela in December 2023 after being exchanged with 10 U.S. prisoners held there. The agreement was part of a general détente between Washington and Caracas and included a promise by the Maduro government to hold free elections.
Maduro’s victory in July was certified by the country’s electoral authorities and the high court. But election monitoring groups, human rights groups, regional leaders and Venezuelan opposition groups have all cast doubt on Mr. Maduro’s claims, and the government has not released any data that might support its claims.
Pre-election polls showed Mr. Maduro was on track to lose by an overwhelming margin to the opposition, and the government has led a harsh crackdown on opponents in the months since the election.
