FOREIGN POLICY/UN/VENEZUELA: “Venezuela’s ambassador to the United Nations, Rafael Ramírez, said Tuesday [12-5-17] he resigned his post at the request of President Nicolás Maduro, who has been unseating political adversaries as his authoritarian government shores up control.
Mr. Ramírez’s departure marks a dramatic fall for one of Venezuela’s most powerful politicians and comes in the midst of what Mr. Maduro says is a sweeping antigraft crusade. In recent weeks, the effort has resulted in the arrest on corruption charges of about 65 executives of Petróleos de Venezuela SA, the state oil company Mr. Ramírez once headed. Many of them had forged close ties to Mr. Ramírez during his 12-year tenure as Venezuela’s energy minister until 2014. Mr. Ramírez, a rival of Mr. Maduro, was widely believed to be next.
Mr. Maduro’s aides haven’t publicly presented evidence against the charged officials. The president’s critics say the action amounts to a purge aimed at helping the embattled leader consolidate power as he prepares for 2018 presidential elections.”
-Kejal Vyas, Jose de Cordoba, and Anatoly Kurmanaev, “Venezuela’s U.N. Envoy Rafael Ramírez Resigns,” The Wall Street Journal online, Dec. 5, 2017 01:46pm