Delcy Rodriguez Takes Charge As Acting Venezuela President Amid Maduro’s US Court Trial

Breaking News: Venezuela Vice President Delcy Rodriguez is sworn in as acting president before the Venezuelan National Assembly, as President Nicolas Maduro remains in detention in the United States. 

The oath was administered by Parliamentary President Jorge Rodriguez. The move was executed out under the authority granted by Maduro, who approved Rodriguez and the parliamentary leadership to run the country in his absence.

The acting leader stated that she was taking the oath with a heavy heart because she believed that First Lady Cilia Flores and President Nicolas Maduro had been “kidnapped.” 

“I come as the executive vice president of the constitutional president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro Moros, to take the oath of office.”

This comes as Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores are being sued in the United States. When they originally appeared in a federal court in New York, both entered not guilty pleas. The case's next hearing has been set on March 17 by a US court. Maduro reiterated that he is still in charge of Venezuela throughout the session. 

Who is Delcy Rodriguez? 

The 56-year-old Delcy Rodriguez, a longtime and reliable figure in both the Hugo Chavez and Nicolas Maduro administrations, is currently leading Venezuela during a period of extreme political unpredictability. She has held a number of important positions in the Maduro administration, such as vice president and minister of oil, and she has been one of the government's most ardent supporters against accusations of drug trafficking and election manipulation.

Rodriguez, a Marxist revolutionary's daughter, has continuously stood up for the Maduro government despite growing internal and international opposition. She now reports to Chavismo, the socialist movement in Venezuela, which is under intense strain after its leader was ousted.

A Key Figure of Chavismo for Over Two Decades

Rodriguez attended the Central University of Venezuela to study law after being born in Caracas. In 1976, her father, Jorge Antonio Rodriguez, was detained on suspicion of being involved in the kidnapping of William Niehous, an American businessman. Later, while being held by the police, he passed away.

One of the most well-known members of Chavismo, the political movement started by Hugo Chavez and subsequently led by Nicolas Maduro following Chavez's death in 2013, has been Delcy Rodriguez for more than 20 years. Since the Chavez period, she has held a number of influential posts alongside her brother, Jorge Rodriguez, who is currently president of the National Assembly.

From 2013 to 2014, she was the minister of communication and information; from 2014 to 2017, she was the foreign minister. As foreign minister, Rodriguez strongly defended the Maduro government against international criticism, including allegations of democratic backsliding and human rights abuses. At international forums like the UN, she spoke on behalf of Venezuela and charged that foreign nations were trying to weaken the nation.

Following the opposition's victory in the 2015 parliamentary elections, Rodriguez was elected president of the Constituent National Assembly in 2017, which increased governmental authority. At the beginning of his second term in 2018, Maduro named her vice president. She remained in that position throughout his third term as president, which started on January 10, 2025, after the contentious elections on July 28, 2024. Until Maduro’s capture, Rodriguez operated as Venezuela’s chief economic authority and minister of petroleum.