The National Assembly of Venezuela in its regular session. Photo: National Assembly.
The attorney general of Venezuela, Tarek William Saab and Ombudsuperson Alfredo RuĂz resigned from their positions and sent their letters of resignation to the National Assembly.
Both senior officials had been appointed by the Venezuelan National Assembly in October 2024. On that occasion, Tarek William Saab was reappointed, as he had been in that position since 2017.
Lawyer Larry Daniel Davoe MĂĄrquez, who is the head of the National Council of Human Rights, was appointed as the acting attorney general.
Meanwhile, Tarek William Saab will be acting as the ombudsperson in charge until the National Assembly makes a new appointment, following the steps stipulated in the corresponding legislation.
Communication by Alfredo Ruiz
Ombudsperson Alfredo Ruiz stated in his resignation letter that he presents “his firm and voluntary resignation” from the position he held with “honor and pride of representing the noble people of Venezuela.”
He specified that the reason for his resignation is due to personal, family and health reasons, to which he must attend and which would prevent him from complying with the required urgency and dedication of the position.
He ended by thanking the trust of the people, and emphasized that he has no doubts that, “despite the difficult circumstances, the Republic will overcome all the obstacles that come its way, since the homeland is in good hands: those of Acting Presidentt Delcy RodrĂguez. The President of the Republic and his wife Cilia Flores will return soon. Justice will prevail. Long live the homeland! Long live the Venezuelan people! Long live BolĂvar!”
Communication by Tarek William Saab
In his letter, Tarek William Saab stated that he presented his resignation after “having fulfilled this position with nobility and honor in the midst of the historical circumstance of exceptional challenge for the present and future of our homeland, where we played the constitutional role of preserving peace and protecting the human rights of our people, in a period of unimaginable aggressions against the Venezuelan nation. We feel proud to have formed a great team based on the values of republican ethics that during the time of my administration promoted with us decisive actions in favor of the most vulnerable sectors of society such as children, women, the elderly, animals, without exception.”
He highlighted the unique achievement of his administration of the Attorney General’s Office, bringing the “common citizen closer” to the entity through multiple programs of direct attention to the communities.
Committee for the evaluation of applications appointed
The president of the National Assembly, Jorge RodrĂguez, thanked Tarek William Saab and Alfredo RuĂz “for they knew how to take the reins of their responsibilities in a very complex time and in absolute adherence to the Constitution.” Thereafter, he proposed the preliminary committee for the evaluation of applications for the selection of the applicants to fill the vacancies.
The committee, unanimously approved, consists of the following deputies: Giuseppe Alessandrello, Rodbexa Poleo, Gloria Castillo, Willy Medina, Carlos MogollĂłn, Carolina GarcĂa, Roy Daza, JosĂ© Oscar Villarroel, Pablo PĂ©rez, BernabĂ© GutiĂ©rrez, Julio HernĂĄndez, Antonio Ecarri, and Luis Augusto Romero.
The president of the National Assembly specified that the committee will work “according to the steps established in the Constitution so that within a period of 30 days, or earlier, we can select the Attorney General and the Ombudsperson.”
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Jorge RodrĂguez: preservation of national unity a priority
Reflecting on the resignations of the attorney general and the ombudsperson, Jorge RodrĂguez said that “the tragedy that the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela suffered in the early hours of January 3, 2026, should make us better people to face challenges with integrity, courage, determination, and conviction.”
He stressed that the nation is in “a constant search for consensus, its national unity, for its most important values that should lead us to undertake all the tasks that are necessary.”
He pointed out that the appointment of an acting attorney general and an acting ombudsperson, while the parliamentary committee works to fulfill the vacancies in accordance with the constitution, “must contribute to the participation of the entire institutional process of the Venezuelan State, an where it is necessary to correct, must correct, and where it is necessary to recognize complicated situations, they must be recognized. I believe that at this time this is the role of the citizens of the Republic and especially of the National Assembly, which must ensure that all these processes are done in accordance with the law, the constitution, and the times and political situations.”
He said that the proposal of the name of a human rights specialist, Larry Devoe, to fill the post of the Attorney General of the Republic, is a “clear message.”
As for Tarek William Saab, who will now temporarily be the ombudsperson, RodrĂguez said that he has been a human rights defender all his life.
(Ăltimas Noticias) by Aura Torrealba
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/CB/SC
Cameron Baillie is an award-winning journalist, editor, and researcher. He won and was shortlisted for awards across Britain and Ireland. He is Editor-in-Chief of New Sociological Perspectives graduate journal and Commissioning Editor at The Student Intifada newsletter. He spent the first half of 2025 living, working, and writing in Ecuador. He does news translation and proofreading work with The Orinoco Tribune.
