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Venezuela's Supreme Court ordered Vice President Delcy Rodriguez to take over as acting president, following the capture of Nicolás Maduro by US forces.
The decision of the Supreme Court of Venezuela is based on articles 233 and 234 of the Constitution and aims to guarantee administrative continuity and national security, in the conditions of the absence described as "forced" by President Nicolas Maduro. In these circumstances, Rodriguez is at the center of the strongest international developments in early 2026.
Who is Delcy Rodriguez?
Delcy Rodriguez, 56, is from Caracas and graduated in law from the University of Venezuela. She was undoubtedly one of the most powerful figures in Maduro's government.
Rodriguez comes from a family of politicians. Her father, Jorge Antonio Rodriguez, was a guerrilla who founded the Socialist League of Venezuela, while her brother, Jorge Rodriguez, is also a high-profile politician, and currently the president of the National Assembly. Together, the two have held key government positions since the Chávez era. Rodriguez served as Minister of Communication and Information in 2013–2014 and then as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2014 to 2017, becoming the country's first female foreign minister.
In this role, Rodriguez has strongly defended Maduro's government in the face of international criticism, including accusations of democratic regression and human rights abuses. She has represented Venezuela at the United Nations, where she has accused Western governments of attempting to destabilize the country.
In 2017, Rodriguez became president of the National Constituent Assembly, which expanded the government's powers after the opposition's victory in the 2015 parliamentary elections. In 2018, she was appointed vice president for Maduro's second term and held this position through his third presidential term, which began on January 10, 2025, after the contested 2024 elections.
Until Maduro's capture, Delcy Rodriguez was the country's top economic authority and oil minister. The Venezuelan opposition continues to insist that the 2024 elections were rigged and that the real winner was former ambassador Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, a position also supported by several governments in the region.
Constitutional analyst Jose Manuel Romano told CNN that the positions held by Rodriguez prove that she is an "extremely important" figure within the government and enjoys the "full trust" of the president. According to him, she has great influence over the entire state apparatus, including the Ministry of Defense.
Following Maduro's capture, US President Donald Trump announced that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had spoken with Rodriguez, signaling her willingness to cooperate. However, some analysts believe that she does not represent a moderate alternative and remains one of the strongest and most hard-line figures in the Chavista regime.
In her first public comments, Rodríguez, who analysts describe as a skilled negotiator, condemned the US operation, demanded proof of the lives of Maduro and Cilia Flores, and insisted that, regardless of the circumstances, Nicolas Maduro remains the only legitimate president of Venezuela.
Why does America support Delcy Rodriguez?
According to analysts, recent contacts between Donald Trump and Delcy Rodriguez are signals that Washington sees her as a worthy candidate. According to Trump, Rodriguez herself has shown that she is willing to cooperate with Washington. "Whatever you need," she is reported to have told Trump in a phone conversation.
Another reason that influenced Rodriguez's assessment is the fact that the incumbent president has cultivated close relationships with Republicans in the US oil industry and those on Wall Street.
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