Sawt Falasteen - Delcy Rodriguez: From Maduro's 'tigress' to acting Venezuelan president

A fierce defender of Maduro, who was snatched by US forces in an extraordinary raid early Saturday, Rodriguez is now seeking to portray herself as a steady hand to lead the country's political transition.

A lawyer by training, 56-year-old Rodriguez has served in successive governments of Maduro and his firebrand predecessor Hugo Chavez, including as foreign minister.

Maduro's vice president since 2018, she also assumed the role of minister of hydrocarbons in 2024 -- a key post in a country whose economy depends on oil exports.

Venezuela has the largest proven oil reserves in the world, and US President Donald Trump has made clear that regaining access to that wealth is a key goal of his pressure campaign.

"She has probably been one of Maduro's most trusted people over the years," political analyst Pedro Benitez of the Central University of Venezuela told AFP.

Hours after Maduro's capture, Rodriguez insisted he remained the "only president" of Venezuela, demanded his release, and said the government in Caracas stood ready "to defend" the country.

Venezuela's Supreme Court subsequently ordered her to assume presidential powers "in an acting capacity" -- the first woman to hold the top post in the country, even temporarily.

On Sunday, the military -- which had repeatedly vowed loyalty to Maduro -- recognized her as the country's interim leader.

- Driven by 'revenge' -

Rodriguez wears pink, beige and green rather than the bright red colors traditionally donned by members of the Chavista movement -- named after Chavez and led by the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV).

Her brother is Jorge Rodriguez, the head of Venezuela's parliament, and their father was a Marxist activist who died in custody in 1976 under a then-center left government.

The siblings "have been involved in every internal maneuver in which Maduro has pushed out any power centers that cast a shadow over him," said Benitez.

Another political scientist, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, said it would take a lot for Rodriguez to recast herself as a moderate politician given her history.

"The emotional fuel that got them (Rodriguez and her brother) where they are has to do with revenge," he said, particularly for their father's death.

Rodriguez served as a lawmaker for many years before being taken up in successive Chavista governments, helped by her brother, a PSUV insider.

"She didn't have a political base of her own," said Benitez.

But she soon proved herself as a full-blooded Chavista, and became a Maduro confidante.

From 2020 to 2024, while serving as both vice president and economy minister, Rodriguez cooled her incendiary rhetoric to make inroads with Venezuela's business community, long demonized by socialist leaders.

She eased trade controls in the de facto dollarized economy, providing a breather for business leaders who still view her as a savvy economic manager.

Detractors call her cynical.

- 'The one who remains' -

Trump said Saturday that Rodriguez had expressed a willingness to work with Washington, while pouring cold water on the take-over prospects of opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Machado, Trump said, did not have sufficient "support or respect" in Venezuela.

On Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States would consider working with Venezuela's remaining Chavista leaders if they make "the right decision."

"We're going to make an assessment on the basis of what they do, not what they say publicly in the interim," he told CBS News' "Face the Nation."

Trump meanwhile warned Rodriguez could face a fate worse than Maduro if she failed to heed US demands on policy reforms and oil access.

"If she doesn't do what's right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro," Trump told The Atlantic.

Rodriguez is under US and European sanctions for allegedly undermining democracy and contributing to human rights violations.

Political scientist Benigno Alarcon told AFP that even though Rodriguez still needs to be sworn in formally, she "already is" the de facto president.

"That's the reality of the matter... she's the one who remains" in charge. For now.

T.Khatib--SF-PST