It was her first cabinet change since being sworn in as interim president Monday, after a US military raid led to the capture of President Nicolas Maduro who is now on trial in New York. Sanchez led Venezuela's central bank from 2018 to 2025 and also has a background in the oil industry.

Rodriguez held the same economic portfolio Sanchez will now take over, when she also served as Maduro's vice president.

In a statement on state TV, she said the government hoped to consolidate last year's numbers going forward, citing a projection of 6.5% growth for Venezuela in 2025 by the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

On Wednesday, Venezuela's state-run oil company PDVSA said it is negotiating with the US for the sales of a large amount of crude oil, “within the framework of the existing trade relations between the two countries”.

The announcement came just a day after US President Donald Trump announced a deal between the US and Venezuela's interim government. Under the deal, Washington will take over 30-50 million barrels of high-quality crude oil, which will be sold at market price.