06.01.2026 09:22
Venezuela's Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has taken office after being sworn in to replace President Nicolas Maduro, who is detained in the United States. In response to U.S. President Trump’s claim that Rodriguez is in contact with the U.S., Rodriguez stated, "The only president of Venezuela is Maduro." Here is the life and unknowns of Venezuela's Acting President Delcy Rodriguez.
As a result of an operation organized by the U.S. military, Delcy Rodriguez took over as interim president in place of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was kidnapped and arrested from his country. Delcy Rodriguez, who took office by oath, was serving as the vice president.
"THE ONLY PRESIDENT OF VENEZUELA IS MADURO"
In her first statement after the U.S. operation against Maduro, Rodriguez condemned the Trump administration. She described the operation as "an illegal and illegitimate kidnapping attempt." In this speech, Rodriguez also called on her citizens to defend their country and stated, "There is only one president in Venezuela, and that is Nicolas Maduro Moros." With these words, Rodriguez responded to the statements made by U.S. President Donald Trump during his first press conference.
ALLEGATION OF COOPERATION WITH THE U.S.
On Saturday, January 3, Trump suggested in a media meeting that Rodriguez would work in harmony with the U.S. President Trump also claimed that Rodriguez was in contact with the U.S. and suggested that she would be willing to meet all of Washington's demands. Trump said, "There is no other alternative."
Shortly after Trump's press conference, Rodriguez addressed the nation, reiterating that Maduro is "the only president of Venezuela." Describing the operation as a "kidnapping," Rodriguez stated that Venezuela "will not surrender, will not give up, and will never be anyone's colony."
In a later statement, Rodriguez signaled cooperation with the U.S. administration.
WHO IS DELCY RODRIGUEZ?
For Delcy Rodriguez, politics is a family profession. The 56-year-old lawyer is the daughter of Jorge Antonio Rodriguez, who gained fame as a guerrilla fighter in the 1960s. Her father was killed after being arrested in connection with the kidnapping of William Niehous, a senior executive of a U.S. company operating in Venezuela in 1976. Rodriguez's death shocked the public as it occurred due to police torture.
"I DECIDED TO SEEK JUSTICE FOR MY FATHER AND STUDIED LAW"
The death of her father was one of the reasons that led Delcy Rodriguez to pursue a legal education. She described this process by saying, "I decided to seek justice for my father and enrolled in law school." This event also influenced her approach to politics.
HER RISE OCCURRED AFTER MADURO'S POWER
In an interview in 2018, she stated, "The Bolivarian revolution, the arrival of Commander Hugo Chavez, was our personal revenge." In this interview, she claimed that she did not act out of a sense of revenge. Like her brother Jorge Rodriguez, who is currently the President of the National Assembly, Delcy Rodriguez rose in politics during Hugo Chavez's presidency and held ministerial positions. However, her real rise occurred after Maduro came to power.
She served as Minister of Communication and Information, Minister of Economy, and Minister of Foreign Affairs. Recently, she was elevated to the position of vice president alongside her ministerial duties. Delcy Rodriguez became a key political figure both within and outside Venezuela in the Maduro government. Political scientist Nícmer Evans described Rodriguez as "more operational than intellectual" in an interview with BBC Mundo in 2024.
PLAYED A CRITICAL ROLE IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Delcy Rodriguez officially served as Minister of Foreign Affairs during the Maduro era from 2014 to 2017. She has always been one of the most visible faces of the government both domestically and internationally. In recent years, when Maduro reduced his foreign trips, she played a key role in relations with allied countries such as Turkey, China, and Iran. Rodriguez is one of the approximately fifty senior Venezuelan officials sanctioned by the EU due to human rights violations and the erosion of democracy in Venezuela.
In 2018, the U.S. Treasury also imposed similar sanctions on her brother Jorge Rodriguez, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino, and First Lady Cilia Flores. At that time, Delcy Rodriguez rejected these decisions and openly questioned the U.S. policies.
WHAT HAPPENED?
On January 3, around 02:00 local time in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, explosions and sounds of aircraft were heard.
The Venezuelan government accused the U.S. of carrying out attacks on civilian and military facilities in various regions of the country following the explosions.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced that a large-scale attack was carried out against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and that Maduro and his wife were taken out of the country.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi also stated that a criminal complaint had been filed in the U.S. against Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, and that Maduro was charged with "drug terrorism, cocaine trafficking, and possession of machine guns and destructive devices against the U.S."
The Venezuelan government called on the international community to condemn the U.S., while some countries criticized the attack, others supported the U.S. with their statements.