In the wake of President Nicolas Maduro’s reported capture by U.S. forces, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez emerges as Venezuela’s potential interim leader. The 56-year-old Caracas native, daughter of left-wing guerrilla fighter Jorge Antonio Rodriguez, has become one of Venezuela’s most influential political figures through her simultaneous control of three critical portfolios: vice presidency, finance ministry, and oil ministry.
Rodriguez’s political ascent has been remarkable. A trained attorney who graduated from Universidad Central de Venezuela, she served as Communication Minister (2013-2014), Foreign Minister (2014-2017), and head of the pro-government Constituent Assembly that expanded Maduro’s powers in 2017. Her appointment as vice president in June 2018 came with Maduro’s personal endorsement as “a young woman, brave, seasoned, daughter of a martyr, revolutionary and tested in a thousand battles.”
Her current economic leadership role has positioned her as a key manager of Venezuela’s crisis-ridden economy, where she has implemented orthodox policies to combat hyperinflation while maintaining influence with the country’s diminished private sector. The August 2024 addition of the oil ministry to her responsibilities placed her at the forefront of managing escalating U.S. sanctions against Venezuela’s most vital industry.
Known for her designer fashion taste and described by Maduro as a “tiger” for her fierce defense of his socialist government, Rodriguez maintains close political coordination with her brother Jorge Rodriguez, who leads the national assembly. Her current whereabouts remain unknown following her Saturday demand via state television for the U.S. government to provide proof of life for Maduro and his wife.