NYT: Elite purges have begun in Venezuela

After the overthrow of President Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela began a gradual purge of the elites who had previously secured its power, writes The New York Times.

According to the publication, the authorities are detaining oligarchs close to Maduro, his allies are being stripped of their posts, and relatives are suspended from business and public activity. The process is headed by the interim head of the republic, Delcy Rodriguez, who runs the country with the support of the administration of US President Donald Trump.

After Maduro's arrest in January and his transfer to New York Rodriguez called the incident an "illegal attack," but now she is dismantling the previous system of power and is carrying out the largest redistribution of influence in decades, the publication says.

In three months, according to the newspaper, 17 ministers were removed, the military leadership was updated and new diplomats were appointed. At least three businessmen associated with Maduro's entourage were also detained, and the ex-president's family lost access to oil contracts.

Some decisions are made under pressure from the United States, the publication notes. Venezuelan officials believe that Rodriguez is acting "with a gun to his head," while Washington gets the opportunity to "settle scores" with Maduro's allies.

At the same time, distrust is growing within the ruling elite.

"The plan was always the same: either everyone falls, or no one," one of the Maduro—era officials told the publication.

Despite the changes, the system of power remains authoritarian, the authors of the article write. At the same time, the Venezuelan opposition believes that Rodriguez does not lead the country to democracy, but only strengthens personal control.

In early April, the United States lifted sanctions against acting President Rodriguez. Information about this appeared on the website of the US Treasury. At the same time, in March, Reuters, citing four sources, wrote that the Trump administration was secretly preparing a draft criminal charge against Rodriguez.

At the same time, she announced that Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez, close to Nicolas Maduro, who had held this post for 11 years, had been removed. El País wrote in mid-February that discontent is growing in the highest echelons of the Venezuelan armed forces (FANB) due to the long stay in power of the current military leadership after the capture of Maduro.

As the WSJ found out, Trump chose Delcy Rodriguez as the interim head of Venezuela on the advice of former Chevron top manager Ali Moshiri. He warned that in the event of the transfer of power into the hands of the opposition, the situation would go according to the scenario of Iraq.