Who is Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, now leading the country?

A little powerfulness vacuum had emerged successful Venezuela successful the abrupt chaos and disorder aft the abduction of President Nicolas Maduro by the United States.

But soon aft the US military rained strikes down connected Caracas and different areas connected Saturday, US President Donald Trump – successful a astonishment snub against Venezuelan absorption person Maria Corina Machado, who was awarded past year’s Nobel Peace Prize – noted that Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, 56, had been sworn successful arsenic interim president.

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The right-wing Machado – who had cosied up to Trump, particularly aft her October Nobel win, an honour that helium himself coveted and she dedicated to him – was described by the US president arsenic not having capable support oregon “respect” to beryllium Venezuela’s leader.

Trump said Rodriguez had talked to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and was “essentially consenting to bash what we deliberation is indispensable to marque Venezuela large again”.

“I deliberation she was rather gracious,” Trump added. “We can’t instrumentality a accidental that idiosyncratic other takes implicit Venezuela that doesn’t person the bully of the Venezuelan radical successful mind.”

However, Rodriguez’s remarks soon aft the strikes and abduction were diametrical: She criticised the US subject enactment arsenic “brutal aggression” and called for Maduro’s contiguous release.

“There is lone 1 president successful this country, and his sanction is Nicolas Maduro,” Rodriguez said defiantly connected authorities tv arsenic helium was flanked by apical civilian officials and subject commanders.

Who, then, is the existent acting president of Venezuela?

Revolutionary roots

A Caracas native, Rodriguez was calved connected May 18, 1969. She is the girl of left-wing rebel combatant Jorge Antonio Rodriguez, who founded the Socialist League enactment successful the 1970s. Her begetter was killed portion tortured successful constabulary custody successful 1976, a transgression that shook galore activists of the era, including a young Maduro.

Rodriguez’s brother, besides named Jorge, besides holds a cardinal relation successful authorities arsenic the caput of the National Assembly.

She is an lawyer who graduated from the Central University of Venezuela and roseate rapidly done the governmental ranks successful the past decade. Rodriguez has a agelong past of representing connected the satellite signifier what precocious President Hugo Chavez called his socialist “revolution” with those carrying connected his bequest referred to arsenic Chavistas.

She served arsenic connection and accusation curate from 2013 to 2014, overseas curate from 2014 to 2017 and arsenic the caput of a pro-government Constituent Assembly, which expanded Maduro’s powers, successful 2017.

Economic prowess

Rodriguez is sometimes perceived arsenic much mean than galore soldiers who took up arms with Chavez successful the 1990s.

Rodriguez’s roles arsenic concern and lipid minister, held simultaneously with her vice statesmanlike post, person made her a cardinal fig successful the absorption of Venezuela’s system and gained her large power with the country’s withered backstage sector. She has applied orthodox economical policies successful a bid to combat hyperinflation.

Maduro added the lipid ministry to Rodriguez’s portfolio successful August 2024, tasking her with managing escalating US sanctions connected Venezuela’s astir important industry.

Rodriguez developed beardown ties with Republicans successful the US lipid manufacture and connected Wall Street who balked astatine the conception of a US-led alteration successful Venezuela’s government.

Among her past interlocutors were Blackwater information institution laminitis Erik Prince and, much recently, Richard Grenell, a Trump peculiar envoy who tried to negociate a woody with Maduro for greater US power successful Venezuela.

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez speaks during the Antifascist Global Parliamentary Forum successful Caracas [File: AFP]

A ‘tiger’

Despite being perceived arsenic much moderate, Maduro has called Rodriguez a “tiger” for her die-hard defence of his socialist government.

When she was named vice president successful June 2018, Maduro described her arsenic “a young woman, brave, seasoned, girl of a martyr, revolutionary and tested successful a 1000 battles”.

After Maduro’s abduction connected Saturday, Rodriguez demanded the US authorities supply impervious of beingness for Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and minced nary words successful denouncing the US actions.

“We telephone connected the peoples of the large homeland to stay agreed due to the fact that what was done to Venezuela tin beryllium done to anyone. That brutal usage of unit to crook the volition of the radical tin beryllium carried retired against immoderate country,” she said successful an code broadcast by the authorities tv transmission VTV.

The Constitutional Chamber of Venezuela’s Supreme Court aboriginal connected Saturday ordered Rodriguez to service arsenic acting president.

The tribunal ruled that Rodriguez volition presume “the bureau of President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, successful bid to warrant administrative continuity and the broad defence of the Nation”.