Yikes

Diosdado Cabello is perhaps the most ruthless collaborator of Maduro. Deeply feared, he had been relegated to a corner of chavismo where he could seemingly do the least harm, the party and the legislature—while still having connections to the tax administration through his brother and creating the new anti-NGO Law. Cabello was a hardcore critic of the way the Maduro administration was handling the elections, asking for a more radical approach to make sure the opposition couldn’t win. The result proved him right and he’s back on top.

Maduro just appointed Cabello Ministry of the Interior and Justice and he will be in charge of the National Police and of civilian intelligence agency SEBIN—one of the most feared security agencies of the government. This appointment runs parallels with 2002, when Hugo Chávez named Cabello Minister of the Interior after he was almost deposed (or briefly deposed). Cabello will also be in charge of the identification services (SAIME)—also a way to control the citizenship, not only through access to information but with the possibility of tracking and punishing people by limiting the possibility of travel and mobilization.

This means Maduro will lean hard into government violence to hold on to power. Dark days ahead.

The New Post-28J Coalition

Highlights of Maduro’s cabinet turnaround:

• Diosdado Cabello replaces Remigio Ceballos Ichaso as Minister of the Interior (which controls PNB, SEBIn and CICPC)

• Pedro Tellechea leaves PDVSA and the Ministry of Oil

• Delcy Rodríguez keeps the vice presidency. Leaves the Ministry of Finance to head the Ministry of Oil.

• Hector Rodríguez leaves the Miranda governorship to become Minister of Education. The governor of Apure will also quit to head the Ministry of Work.

• Vladimir Padrino López and Yvan Gil ratified as Minister of Defense and Chancellor, respectively.

• Wilmar Castro Soteldo is replaced as Minister of Agriculture.

Venezuelan journalist Eugenio Martínez says that the ministerial changes has three pillars: maintaining the economic liberalization and relationship with the business sector (ratification of Delcy Rodríguez), radicalizing repression against dissidents (appointment of Diosdado Cabello as Minister of the Interior) and ratifying the military power that supports Nicolás Maduro.