Following the arrest of President Nicolás Maduro during a US military operation in Venezuela, command of the South American country has passed into the hands of Executive Vice President Delcy Rodríguez.
That is what Venezuela’s constitution outlines in various scenarios that anticipate the absence of a president. Under Articles 233 and 234, the Vice President assumes the duties of the President, whether the absence is temporary or absolute.
Rodriguez, who is also finance and petroleum minister, assumed the role on Saturday afternoon. Hours after President Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were detained, she chaired a defense council meeting surrounded by other ministers and senior officials, condemning the U.S. military operation and demanding their “immediate release.”
Standing in front of a Venezuelan flag, Rodriguez said the early morning operation was a clear violation of international law and Venezuela’s sovereignty. She added that this action must be rejected by Venezuelans and condemned by governments across Latin America.
“We call on the people of our great homeland to remain united, because what was done against Venezuela can be done against anyone. The brutal use of force to bend the will of the people can be done against any country,” he told the council in a speech broadcast by state television station VTV.
Rodriguez, 56, is from Caracas and studied law at the Central University of Venezuela.
She has spent more than 20 years as one of the leading figures in Chavismo, a political movement founded by President Hugo Chávez and led by President Maduro after Chávez’s death in 2013.
Along with her brother Jorge Rodríguez, the current speaker of Congress, she has held various positions of power since the Chávez era. She served as Minister of Communications and Information from 2013 to 2014 and then Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2014 to 2017. In that role, she defended the Maduro government against international criticism, including domestic democratic backsliding and alleged human rights abuses.
As foreign minister, Rodriguez represented Venezuela in forums such as the United Nations, accusing other governments of trying to undermine his country.
After the opposition won the 2015 parliamentary elections, Rodriguez became president of the National Constituent Assembly in 2017, expanding the government’s powers. In 2018, President Maduro was appointed vice president for a second term. She remained in office during the president’s third term, which began on January 10, 2025, after the controversial July 28, 2024 election. She served as Venezuela’s top economic official and oil minister until the president’s arrest.
Venezuela’s opposition claims the 2024 election was fraudulent and that Maduro is not the legitimately elected president. They argue that the real winner is former ambassador Edmundo González Urrutia, a position that some governments in the region also support.
José Manuel Romano, a constitutional lawyer and political analyst, told CNN that Rodriguez’s previous positions show she is a “very prominent” figure within the Venezuelan government and someone who enjoys the president’s “full confidence.”
“Republic’s executive vice president is a very capable executive and a woman with strong leadership skills to manage a team,” Romano said.
“She is very results-oriented and has great influence across government institutions, including the Ministry of Defence. In the current situation, it is very important to note this,” he added.
Is the path towards understanding with the US on track?
Hours after Maduro’s arrest, and before Rodriguez spoke to the National Defense Council, US President Donald Trump said at a news conference that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had met with the vice president. According to President Trump, she appears ready to work with Washington on a new phase in Venezuela.
“She had a conversation with Marco. She said, ‘We’re going to do whatever you need to do.’ I think she was very gracious. We’re going to do this right,” Trump said.
But Trump’s comments surprised some analysts who believe Rodriguez is unlikely to concede to the United States.
“She is not a moderate alternative to Mr. Maduro. She is one of the most powerful and hardline figures in the entire system,” Imdat Oner, a policy analyst at the Jack D. Gordon Institute and a former Turkish diplomat based in Venezuela, told CNN.
“Her rise to power appears to be the result of some kind of understanding between the US and key actors preparing a post-Maduro scenario. In that context, she will essentially be playing an interim role until a democratically elected leader takes office,” the analyst added.
In his first message after Maduro’s arrest, Rodriguez showed no signs of backing down, making no mention of President Trump’s remarks and closing the door on possible cooperation with the United States.
In an early morning phone interview with VTV, Rodriguez said the whereabouts of Maduro and Flores were unknown and demanded proof that they were alive. Later in the afternoon, during a meeting of the National Defense Council, she escalated her remarks, condemning the U.S. operation and insisting that Maduro remains in charge of Venezuela despite the situation.
“There is only one president in this country, and his name is Nicolás Maduro Moros,” Rodriguez said. He has now become the most visible face of the government.
Reuters contributed to this report.
