Venezuela Appoints Ex-Central Bank Chief as Economy Minister

Venezuela’s caretaker president, Delcy Rodriguez, has appointed former Central Bank chief Calixto Ortega Sanchez as the country’s new Minister of Economy.

The appointment, announced on Tuesday, marks the first cabinet change since Rodriguez was sworn in as interim president.

Ortega Sanchez previously served as president of Venezuela’s Central Bank from 2018 to 2025 and has experience in both monetary policy and the oil sector, a critical pillar of the country’s economy.

His appointment comes a day after Rodriguez assumed office and shortly after the arrest of former president Nicolas Maduro, who was taken into custody following a United States military operation and flown to New York to face trial, according to reports by CBI News.

Rodriguez personally oversaw the economic portfolio now assigned to Ortega Sanchez; before becoming caretaker president, she also served as vice president under Maduro and played a key role in managing the hydrocarbons sector, giving her significant influence over fiscal and energy policy during a prolonged economic crisis.

In a statement broadcast on state television, Rodriguez said the government was focused on consolidating recent economic gains.

She cited projections by the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), which forecast 6.5 per cent economic growth for Venezuela in 2025.

Despite the outlook, concerns remain over the sustainability of the recovery, with continued depreciation of the local currency renewing fears of a return to hyperinflation.

Rodriguez, who has served as vice president since 2018, is widely credited with helping stabilise the economy by easing currency controls and allowing greater dollarisation.