What to know about Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s interim president

Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodríguez has stepped in as interim leader following the capture of President Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces, which marked an abrupt shift in the country’s political hierarchy.

A 56-year-old attorney from Caracas, Rodríguez has been a fixture in Maduro’s government since 2013. She first served as Minister of Communication and Information from 2013 to 2014, before moving on to become Foreign Minister between 2014 and 2017.

In her role as foreign minister, Rodríguez represented Venezuela on the global stage and staunchly defended Maduro’s administration against widespread accusations of human rights abuses.

Read also: Venezuela’s court names Delcy Rodríguez acting president after Maduro seized by the United States

Maduro appointed her as Vice President during his second term in 2018, describing her on X as a “young woman, brave, seasoned.” In 2024, she was also tasked with overseeing efforts to manage escalating U.S. sanctions on Venezuela’s oil sector in her capacity as Minister of Petroleum.

Despite comments from former U.S. President Donald Trump that Rodríguez had been “courteous since Maduro’s capture,” she publicly condemned U.S. actions following the president’s detention. Trump has said she is “essentially willing to do what the U.S. thinks is necessary to make Venezuela great again.”