Delcy Rodríguez Appoints Oliver Blanco as Venezuela's New Foreign Minister, Removes Félix Plasencia

Delcy Rodríguez, the Venezuelan Foreign Minister, announced the appointment of Oliver Blanco as the new Foreign Minister on October 29, 2026, removing Félix Plasencia from his position. According to reports from Infobae and El Espectador, Rodríguez tasked Plasencia with traveling to the United Kingdom to manage the recovery of gold held at the Bank of England, which is claimed to belong to Venezuelans. The exact time of the announcement varied between sources, with some reporting it as 20:01:36 and others as 21:16:23 on the same day. El Espectador and El Comercio reported that Oliver Blanco took charge of the Ministry of Foreign Relations, while Infobae noted that the appointment was confirmed by multiple outlets. The gold held at the Bank of England is a contentious issue, with Venezuela asserting its ownership. The removal of Plasencia and the appointment of Blanco were reported by multiple sources, including Infobae and El Espectador, with El Comercio publishing its report the following day.