Following the seize of President Nicolás Maduro throughout a US navy operation in Venezuela, the command of the South American nation has fallen into the arms of Executive Vice President Delcy Rodríguez.
That is what Venezuela’s structure outlines in its completely different eventualities anticipating a president’s absence. Under Articles 233 and 234, whether or not the absence is momentary or absolute, the vice chairman takes over the presidential duties.
Rodríguez – additionally minister for each finance and oil – stepped into the position on Saturday afternoon. Hours after the seize of Maduro and his spouse, Cilia Flores, she chaired a National Defense Council session, surrounded by different ministers and senior officers, and demanded the couple’s “immediate release” whereas condemning the US navy operation.
Standing earlier than the Venezuelan flag, Rodríguez mentioned the early-morning operation represents a blatant violation of worldwide legislation and Venezuela’s sovereignty. She added that the motion should be rejected by Venezuelans and condemned by governments throughout Latin America.
“We call on the peoples of the great homeland to remain united, because what was done to Venezuela can be done to anyone. That brutal use of force to bend the will of the people can be carried out against any country,” she advised the council in an handle broadcast by state tv channel VTV.
Rodríguez, 56, is from Caracas and studied legislation on the Central University of Venezuela.
She has spent greater than twenty years as one of many main figures of chavismo, the political motion based by President Hugo Chávez and led by Maduro since Chávez’s demise in 2013.
Alongside her brother Jorge Rodríguez, the present president of the National Assembly, she has held varied positions of energy because the Chávez period. She served as minister of communication and knowledge from 2013 to 2014 and later grew to become overseas minister from 2014 to 2017. In that position, she defended Maduro’s authorities towards worldwide criticism, together with allegations of democratic backsliding and human rights abuses within the nation.
As overseas minister, Rodríguez represented Venezuela at boards such because the United Nations, the place she accused different governments of in search of to undermine her nation.
In 2017, Rodríguez grew to become president of the Constituent National Assembly that expanded the federal government’s powers after the opposition gained the 2015 legislative elections. In 2018, Maduro appointed her vice chairman for his second time period. She retained the submit throughout his third presidential time period, which started on January 10, 2025, following the controversial July 28, 2024, elections. Until the president’s seize, she served as Venezuela’s chief financial authority and minister of petroleum.
Venezuela’s opposition maintains that the 2024 elections have been fraudulent and that Maduro is not a legitimately elected president. They insist that the true winner was former ambassador Edmundo González Urrutia, a place supported by some governments within the area.
José Manuel Romano, a constitutional lawyer and political analyst, advised NCS that the positions Rodríguez has held present she is a “very prominent” determine inside the Venezuelan authorities and somebody who enjoys the president’s “full trust.”
“The executive vice president of the republic is a highly effective operator, a woman with strong leadership skills for managing teams,” Romano mentioned.
“She is very results-oriented and has significant influence over the entire government apparatus, including the Ministry of Defense. That is very important to note in the current circumstances,” he added.
On the trail to an understanding with the US?
Hours after Maduro’s seize, and earlier than Rodríguez addressed the National Defense Council, US President Donald Trump mentioned at a press convention that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had spoken with the vice chairman. According to Trump, she appeared prepared to work with Washington on a brand new part for Venezuela.
“She had a conversation with Marco. She said, ‘We’re going to do whatever you need.’ I think she was quite courteous. We’re going to do this right,” Trump mentioned.
Trump’s remarks, nonetheless, stunned some analysts, who consider Rodríguez is unlikely to make concessions to the United States.
“She is not a moderate alternative to Maduro. She has been one of the most powerful and hard-line figures in the entire system,” Imdat Oner, a coverage analyst on the Jack D. Gordon Institute and a former Turkish diplomat based mostly in Venezuela, advised NCS.
“Her rise to power appears to be the result of some kind of understanding between the United States and key actors preparing for a post-Maduro scenario. In that context, she would essentially serve as a caretaker until a democratically elected leader takes office,” the analyst added.
In her first messages following Maduro’s seize, Rodríguez confirmed no indicators of backing down and, with out referencing Trump’s statements, closed the door to any potential cooperation with the United States.
Earlier within the morning, throughout a telephone interview with VTV, Rodríguez mentioned the whereabouts of Maduro and Flores have been unknown and demanded proof that they have been alive. Later within the afternoon, throughout the National Defense Council session, she escalated her rhetoric, condemned the US operation and, regardless of the circumstances, insisted that Maduro stays answerable for Venezuela.
“There is only one president in this country, and his name is Nicolás Maduro Moros,” mentioned Rodríguez — now, by drive of occasions, probably the most seen face of the federal government.
Reuters information company contributed to this report.