Venezuelan foreign minister Delcy Rodriguez has quit to stand for a seat in a controversial new congress, drawing praise from her boss as a "tiger" for her defence of the socialist government.
Historian and deputy foreign minister Samuel Moncada would replace her, President Nicolas Maduro said on Wednesday, announcing the diplomatic shake-up in a speech on state TV.
"She truly deserves the recognition of the entire country because she has defended Venezuelan sovereignty, peace and independence like a tiger," Maduro said of Rodriguez, who had been Venezuela's top diplomat since the end of 2014.
The election for the new Constituent Assembly is set for July 30.
Venezuela's opposition is boycotting the vote, saying it is rigged in Maduro's favour and intended purely to keep the Socialist Party in power despite its unpopularity.
The president says the new assembly, a super body with powers to rewrite the constitution and override other institutions, is necessary to bring peace after nearly three months of anti-government unrest that have killed 75 people.
