Delcy Rodriguez, Maduro's number two, will be key in Venezuela's immediate future
Although many believe that Venezuelan opponents Maria Corina Machado or Edmundo González would take power after the arrest of Nicolás Maduro, the Venezuelan Supreme Court of Justice has granted leadership to the hitherto Vice President of Venezuela, as well as to the Trump administration.
Delcy Rodriguez in a stock image.
Venezuela'sExecutive Vice President, Delcy Rodriguez , will lead the transition to chavismo after the USarrest President Nicolás Maduro . The Venezuelan Supreme Court of Justice has ordered him to take office as responsible president after the "kidnapping" of Maduro"leaves an exceptional, atypical and unforeseen situation in the Venezuelan Constitution," in the words of the Court of Justice.
Rodriguez will be the first woman in Venezuela's history to lead the executive.
Under the Constitution, the temporary or absolute absence of the President shall replace the Executive Vice-Presidents up to 90 days and may be extended by Parliament within the same period. If the vacancy is extended for more than 180 days, the Legislature shall decide by a majority of its members whether or not the offence should be considered absolute.
It will be sworn in this Monday, 5 January, and a new legislature (2026-2031) will be established.
Trump and Rubio think they'll "get along" with Rodriguez.
Yesterday, US President Donald Trump said he will not deploy troops in Venezuela and will not launch any further attacks if Maduro's vice president does "whatever" his administration wants, and he also advanced that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has contacted him.
However, a few hours later Rodriguez himself said at a press conference that "the only president of Venezuelais Maduro " .
"We demand the immediate release of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores," Rodriguez said in a speech broadcast on radio and television. He was accompanied by the Minister of the Interior and Justice, Diosdado Cabello, and several officials.
In an interview on NBC TV today, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has stressed that they expect "better cooperation" with the Venezuelan government with the imprisonment of Maduro.
"We now expect a higher level of compliance and better cooperation. There are other people in charge of the military and police apparatus. They will have to choose. We are confident that they will move away from the path of Nicolas Maduro, so that we can make a complete transition," he explained.
The Venezuelan opposition leader has said that "unfortunately" most of the opposition in Venezuela is outside the country. "We have issues on our hands that need to be resolved in the short term," he added.
Donald Trump himself issued a harsh warning today: "If he doesn't do the right thing, he will pay a very high price, probably higher than Maduro."
The onepublished last year by the Miami Herald.
In October last year, the Miami Herald published controversial information that Rodriguez offered the US to lead a transition government without Maduro to protect the country's political stability.
According to the US media, the vice president and his brother, Jorge Rodríguez, together with a group of senior Venezuelan officials, presented to the Trump administration two proposals approved by Maduro , mediated by Qatar.
Rodriguez then dismissed this information as false and accused the Miami Herald of inciting "lies and massacres."
A long political career
Rodriguez, 56, has been number two in the Venezuelan government since June 2018, when he replaced Tareck El Aissami.
He has also been Minister of Hydrocarbons since August 2024, which has made him a key figure within the Executive. He is the chief economic officer, which has brought him closer to the country's business and private sector.
Previously, he served as Minister of Economy, Finance and Foreign Trade ; Minister of Communication ETA ; Chancellor and President of the National Constituent Assembly . This assembly was established in 2017, after the opposition obtained a majority in Parliament.
His first position in high politics came in 2006: served as Minister of the Office of the Presidency under the late Hugo Chavez (1999-2013).
Born in Caracas on 18 May 1969, Rodriguez has developed his career in chavismo with his brother Jorge Rodríguez. The latter is the current president of the National Assembly (Parliament). They both turned to politics from a very young age, after their father, Jorge Antonio Rodriguez, died in July 1976 from injuries inflicted by officials of the Police Intelligence Directorate (Disip).
Hegraduated as alawyer at the Central University ofVenezuela and studied social law at the University of Paris Nanterre.
He also holdsamaster's degree in politics and society from the University of Birkbeck, London.
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