Venezuela’s acting president appoints interior minister’s daughter to Cabinet
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Ms Daniella Cabello will assume the post of tourism minister.
PHOTO: REUTERS
CARACAS - Interim Venezuelan president Delcy Rodriguez appointed the daughter of the country’s powerful interior minister to a post in her cabinet on Feb 2, navigating a fine line between demands from Washington on the new leader and her own backers since the toppling of long-term president Nicolas Maduro.
Ms Daniella Cabello, daughter of US-sanctioned Diosdado Cabello, will assume the post of tourism minister after the latest Cabinet reshuffle by Ms Rodriguez, who posted the news on Telegram.
The United States is offering a US$25 million (S$32 million) reward for Mr Diosdado Cabello, while his daughter is sanctioned by the US Treasury Department for supporting Mr Maduro’s widely disputed claim to re-election in 2024 and a crackdown on protests that followed.
She was appointed by Mr Maduro that year to lead Venezuela’s export and tourism promotion efforts.
The elder Cabello was widely considered to be Venezuela’s second-most powerful figure after Mr Maduro, and his backing for Ms Rodriguez’s government is seen as critical.
He is also the secretary-general of the ruling United Socialist party of Venezuela.
Mr Cabello pledged the police’s support for Ms Rodriguez after she stepped into the shoes of Mr Maduro, who was ousted in a deadly US military operation in January and whisked away to New York to stand trial on drug charges.
US President Donald Trump has expressed a willingness to work with Ms Rodriguez as long as she toes Washington’s line – especially on access to oil – despite having been a diehard Maduro ally and his vice-president. AFP
