DID Press: Following US military intervention in Venezuela and the arrest of President Nicolás Maduro, power in Caracas shifted to Delcy Rodríguez — an influential insider long embedded in the Bolivarian system — who has now assumed the role of interim president and sits at the center of Venezuela’s domestic and foreign policy calculations.
Rodríguez, 56, a former vice president under Maduro, was swiftly sworn in as interim leader. Known as loyal, pragmatic, and trusted by Maduro’s inner circle, she is the politician the detained president once called a “tigress.”
Before becoming vice president, Rodríguez held several key posts, including minister of communications and information and foreign minister. In recent years, she consolidated power by overseeing the oil industry and the intelligence apparatus. After Maduro’s capture, she emerged as the country’s most powerful political figure with the backing of the Supreme Court and the military.
Analysts warn that the change at the top does not mean a change in the nature of the regime. As one observer put it, “The structure of power is the same — only the person at the top has changed.” Rodríguez’s political roots run deep: her father, Jorge Antonio Rodríguez, was a left-wing militant who died in custody in the 1970s, while her brother, Jorge Rodríguez, is a leading power broker and the current speaker of the National Assembly.
Reports suggest that the Rodríguez siblings were engaged in quiet contacts with Washington even before Maduro’s arrest. U.S. media say they presented themselves as a more “acceptable” option for a transition, with Qatar mediating discussions. Economic sources also describe Delcy Rodríguez as the most “constructive” figure in back-channel talks with the United States.
Yet after the U.S. intervention, Rodríguez adopted a tougher public tone, calling Washington’s actions a “flagrant violation of international law.” In a televised address she declared: “We will never again be the slaves or colony of any empire.” Former U.S. President Donald Trump responded sharply, warning she would face “a heavier price than Maduro” if she “fails to do the right thing.”
Despite the rhetoric, Rodríguez has recently moderated her message, inviting the United States to engage in dialogue for a “cooperation and peace agenda.” She insisted Venezuela has the “right to development, sovereignty, and a future,” arguing that the region needs negotiation — not war.