Vladimir Padrino López
| Vladimir Padrino López | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Minister of Defense | |
|
Assumed office 24 October 2014 | |
| President | Nicolás Maduro |
| Preceded by | Carmen Meléndez |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
May 30, 1963 Caracas, Venezuela |
| Political party | PSUV |
| Alma mater | Military Academy of Venezuela |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 Venezuela |
| Service/branch | Venezuelan Army |
| Years of service | 1984 – present |
| Rank |
.PNG){kind=small} General-in-chief |
Vladimir Padrino López is the current Minister of Defense for the National Armed Forces of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. During his tenure the Venezuelan Armed Forces have repressed dozens of protests[1] and killed over a dozen civilians.[2]
Military career
In 5 July 1984, Padrino graduated from Military Academy of Venezuela.[3] He commanded mortar personnel of the Antonio Ricaurte Infantry Battalion in Rubio, Táchira State. During the 2002 Venezuelan coup d'état attempt, he was a colonel of the Simon Bolivar Infantry Battalion in Fuerte Tiuna,[3] remaining loyal to the government of Hugo Chávez. He was later appointed Chief of Joint Staff of the Strategic Defense Central Region Integral by President Chavez.
In 2013, Padrino became the commander in chief of the Venezuelan Armed forces.[3] On 24 October 2014, Padrino was named by President Nicolas Maduro to be the successor of Carmen Melendez as the Minister of Defense. Currently Padrino and the Minister of People's Power for Defense hold the positions of Strategic Operational commander of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces.
Increased authority
On 12 July 2016, President Nicolás Maduro granted Padrino the powers to distribute food and medicine, authority over all Bolivarian missions, while also having his military command five of Venezuela's main ports,[4] with Maduro stating:[5]
All ministries and government institutions are subordinated to the National Command of the Great Mission for Safe Sovereign and Safe Supply, which is under the command of the President and of the top General, Vladimir Padrino López.
This action performed by President Maduro made General Padrino one of the most powerful people in Venezuela, possibly "the second most powerful man in Venezuelan politics".[5][6] The appointment of Padrino was also seen to be similar to the Cuban government's tactic of granting the Cuban military the power to manage the Cuba's economy.[5][6]
Role in 2017 Protests
Under his wing, the Venezuelan National Guard (A faction of the Venezuelan Armed Forces) played an active role in the deaths of at least 39 Venezuelans during the months of April and May 2017.[7] Throughout the protests he has pledged his allegiance to the Venezuelan government and refused to stop the repression. International and Venezuelan media outlets have raised the possibility of him being trialled for crimes against humanity in the near future.[8]
Written work
Padrino is the author of the manual "Preparation Process Operations," which is used as query and serves as a reference in all institutes, schools and universities and vocational training of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces.
References
- ↑ "Venezuelan opposition urges security forces to allow peaceful protests".
- ↑ "12 killed in Venezuela as protests continue". www.aljazeera.com.
- 1 2 3 "¿Quién es Vladimir Padrino?". El Nacional. 24 October 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
- ↑ "Venezuela Military Seizes Major Ports as Economic Crisis Deepens". Voice of America. 13 July 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
- 1 2 3 Martín, Sabrina (13 July 2016). "Venezuela: Maduro Hands over Power to Defense Minister". PanAm Post. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
- 1 2 "Venezuela Gets a New Comandante". Bloomberg News. 19 July 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
- ↑ "Muerte de violinista en protestas conmueve a Venezuela" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2017-05-11.
- ↑ ""Maduro, Padrino y Reverol deberán responder por crímenes de lesa humanidad"". El Mercurio Web | Noticias, Información y Análisis (in Spanish). Retrieved 2017-05-11.