Venezuela’s Supreme Court late Saturday ordered Vice President Delcy Rodríguez to step in as interim president after US authorities detained President Nicolás Maduro and flew him out of the country.
In a ruling reported by Reuters, the Constitutional Chamber said Rodríguez would temporarily take over executive authority to ensure continuity of governance. The court stated that she would assume “the office of President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, in order to guarantee administrative continuity and the comprehensive defense of the Nation.”
Who Is Delcy Rodríguez?
Rodríguez, 56, was born in Caracas on May 18, 1969, and is the daughter of Jorge Antonio Rodríguez, a left-wing guerrilla leader who founded the Liga Socialista revolutionary party in the 1970s. She studied law at the Central University of Venezuela, according to CNN, and has emerged as one of the most influential figures in Venezuela’s ruling establishment.
A Rapid Ascent Through Power
Her rise within the Maduro government has been swift. Rodríguez served as minister of communication and information between 2013 and 2014 before being appointed foreign minister, a post she held until 2017.
That year, she was named head of the pro-government Constituent Assembly, a body that effectively sidelined the opposition-led National Assembly and significantly expanded Maduro’s authority.
In June 2018, Maduro elevated Rodríguez to the vice presidency, announcing the move on X and praising her as “a young woman, brave, seasoned, daughter of a martyr, revolutionary and tested in a thousand battles.”
Central Role In Oil And Economic Policy
Rodríguez’s influence has only grown since then. In August 2024, Maduro placed her in charge of the oil ministry, entrusting her with navigating tightening US sanctions on Venezuela’s most critical economic sector, Reuters reported. She has also served as the government’s chief economic decision-maker.
She works closely with her brother, Jorge Rodríguez, who currently heads Venezuela’s National Assembly, further consolidating the family’s grip on key institutions of power.
Demands Proof Of Life
Despite the court’s decision, Rodríguez struck a defiant tone later on Saturday, calling on the United States to provide proof that Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were alive following their detention.
In an audio message broadcast on state television, she insisted that Maduro remained the country’s legitimate leader.
“There is only one president in this country, and his name is Nicolás Maduro Moros,” Rodríguez said.
