Delcy Rodríguez
Delcy Eloína Rodríguez Gómez is a Venezuelan lawyer, diplomat, and politician who has served as the acting president of Venezuela since 3 January 2026, after the United States captured and de facto removed President Nicolás Maduro from power. Rodríguez was formally sworn in two days later. She was the vice president of Venezuela from 2018 to 2026. Rodríguez also held several positions under Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro: she was Minister of Popular Power for Communication and Information of Venezuela from 2013 to 2014, Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2014 to 2017, President of the Constituent Assembly of Venezuela from 2017 to 2018, head of Bolivarian National Intelligence Service from 2018, and Minister of Petroleum since 2024.
Rodríguez is a member of the national leadership of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela. The European Union, the United States, and Canada have placed sanctions on her due to claimed human rights violations and her role in the political crisis in the country. Her vice-presidency was disputed between 2019 and 2023. She managed to stabilize the Venezuelan economy after years of crisis and increase the country's oil production despite tougher US sanctions.
On 3 January 2026, Maduro was abducted by the United States in Operation Absolute Resolve, leaving Rodríguez as acting president of the country but making her future role in the government administration unclear. She later appeared on state television, where she said that Maduro was Venezuela's only president. Venezuela's Supreme Tribunal of Justice ordered Rodríguez to become acting president. She is the first woman to perform the duties associated with the president of Venezuela.
Early life
Rodríguez is the sister of Jorge Rodríguez Gómez, a psychiatrist serving as President of the National Assembly of Venezuela since 2021. Her father, Jorge Antonio Rodríguez, was a founder of the Socialist League, a Marxist political party in Venezuela. Her mother is Delcy Gómez. Rodríguez's father was murdered in 1976, while he was incarcerated and being tortured by the Directorate of Intelligence and Prevention Services for his leadership role in the kidnapping of American executive and alleged CIA spy William Niehous.According to The Washington Post, a person who had held repeated conversations with Rodríguez stated that Rodríguez had lived in Santa Monica, California during her college years. Rodríguez graduated with a law degree from the Central University of Venezuela in 1993. During her time at UCV, Rodríguez was active as a student leader. She then studied labor law at Sorbonne University in Paris, but did not graduate. In her professional career, Rodríguez served as a professor at UCV. She was president of the union within the Venezuelan Association of Labor Lawyers.
Political career
Rodríguez became involved in national politics during the 2002 Venezuelan coup attempt. She has stated that her decision to enter politics was motivated by revenge for the death of her father while in the custody of pro-American intelligence agents. While in London during the crisis, she and her mother symbolically took over the Venezuelan Embassy in London to protest the de facto government of Pedro Carmona. From there, they coordinated interviews with international media, including the BBC and CNN, to denounce the rupture of the constitutional order. Rodríguez commenced her governmental career in 2003, joining the General Coordination of the Vice Presidency of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. She subsequently became Director of International Affairs at the Ministry of Energy and Mines. In 2005, Rodríguez was appointed Vice-minister for European Affairs.From February to August 2006, Rodríguez was the Minister for Presidential Affairs. Her tenure was short-lived due to reported tensions with president Hugo Chávez. She reportedly refused to show the "personal homage" expected by the president. According to profiles published in Tal Cual and , Rodríguez disregarded established hierarchies and maintained a direct attitude that alienated her from the presidential inner circle. Travelling to an official visit to Moscow in 2006, it was reported that Rodríguez engaged in a heated argument with Chávez and swore at him; Chávez dismissed her, and she had to return immediately to Venezuela.
In 2007, Rodríguez served as the General Coordinator to the Vice-President of Venezuela, both of which roles she held while her brother occupied the office of Vice President of the Republic. In August 2013, President Nicolás Maduro appointed her as the Minister of Popular Power for Communication and Information of Venezuela, a position in which she was reaffirmed in 2014 and maintained until October 2014.
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In December 2014, President Maduro appointed Rodríguez as the Minister of Popular Power for Foreign Relations, also known as Chancellor, succeeding Rafael Ramírez Carreño. Rodríguez became the first woman to hold this position in Venezuela's history. In December 2015, in the absence of President Maduro, Rodríguez attended the 49th Summit of Mercosur heads of state in Asunción. During this summit, Rodríguez was involved in a dispute with the president of Argentina, Mauricio Macri, who called for the prompt release of political prisoners in Venezuela. Rodríguez accused Macri of meddling in Venezuelan internal affairs, of endorsing political violence against Chavismo, and of criticizing Hebe de Bonafini, the head of Madres de Plaza de Mayo, for advocating peaceful protests against his government. Rodríguez accused Macri of releasing officials responsible for torture during Argentina's last military dictatorship and vetoing human rights laws, claims that the newspaper Clarín characterized as factual errors. President Maduro later praised Rodríguez publicly for metaphorically "sending Macri to the showers" during the summit.During the same summit, Rodríguez presented photographs depicting Leopoldo López and opposition protestors attacking public buildings. She said the images, sourced from news agencies, evidenced López's responsibility for "attacks against essential public services and Venezuelan universities". Rodríguez alleged Macri had released prisoners who were responsible for repression during the last military dictatorship in Argentina and had vetoed laws aimed at addressing unfair treatment, torture, and forced disappearances. These allegations were denied by the Argentine Foreign Minister, Susana Malcorra, during a press conference. Malcorra stated that Rodríguez's accusations were incorrect and that President Macri deemed a response unnecessary. She criticized Rodríguez's remarks as overly aggressive and based on inaccurate information.
In 2016, Rodríguez accused Luis Almagro, the Secretary General of the Organization of American States of "international bullying" because of his attempt to suspend Venezuela from the OAS. In March 2016, within the framework of an Organization of American States assembly, Rodríguez denounced a report published by Luis Almagro. She characterized the report as part of a "complex intervention strategy with medium and long-term consequences". Rodríguez informed the assembly that over 70% of Almagro's tweets were focused on criticizing the Venezuelan government and its citizens.
File:Secretary Kerry Shakes Hands With Venezuelan Foreign Minister Rodriguez Before Their Meeting in Santo Domingo.jpg|thumb|Rodríguez shaking hands with United States Secretary of State, John Kerry, on 14 June 2016|265x265px
In June 2016, during the commemoration of the 195th anniversary of the Battle of Carabobo, President Maduro awarded Rodríguez the Military Order of National Defense, Commander Degree, First Class. This honor was bestowed upon her for "defending the interests of the nation in the face of attacks from the right". At the XXV Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government, which took place in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, Rodríguez addressed the President of Peru, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski. In criticism, she asked for the president to "see more of the reality of the people of Latin America".
Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay convened to deliberate on the suspension of Venezuela from Mercosur. The trio expressed reservations regarding Venezuela's compliance with the prerequisites for full membership within the bloc, emphasizing the need for adherence to Mercosur's stipulations, particularly in the areas of trade, politics, democracy, and human rights. Concurrently, Argentina assumed the pro tempore presidency of Mercosur. Despite this, Venezuela did not acknowledge its suspension from the trading bloc and sought to continue its exercise of the pro tempore presidency until 30 December 2016.
In December 2016, after Venezuela was suspended from Mercosur, Rodríguez attempted to force her entry into a bloc meeting in Buenos Aires to which she had not been invited. Accompanied by Bolivian foreign minister David Choquehuanca, she tried to enter the San Martín Palace but was blocked by riot police. Rodríguez claimed she was "struck" by police during the scuffle, and reports indicated a doctor had to immobilize her arm. Although she eventually gained access to the building, she found the meeting room empty as the other foreign ministers had decided to move their gathering to a different location.
In June 2017, Rodríguez vacated her role as Chancellor to stand as a candidate in the National Constituent Assembly elections held that year. Prior to her candidacy, she had been designated a member of the Presidential Commission for the Constituent Assembly. Before she left her position, President Maduro honored her on 22 June with the Saber Order of the Liberator Simón Bolívar of the Battle of Carabobo. She was succeeded by Samuel Moncada.