Who is Delcy Rodriguez, the Trump-backed new leader of Venezuela?
The former Vice President of Venezuela has been sworn in as interim leader after the US ousted Nicolas Maduro.
Delcy Rodriguez, who has vowed to work with the Trump administration, was sworn in by her brother, Jorge Rodriguez, who was re-elected as speaker.
Shortly after being sworn in, Donald Trump appeared to threaten her, saying she could ‘pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro’ if she didn’t bend to the administration’s wishes.
After being sworn in, Rodriguez said Venezuela is seeking ‘respectful relations’ with the US.
But choosing to swear in Rodriguez over democratic opposition leader and Nobel peace prize winner Maria Corina Machado has raised some eyebrows – here’s all you need to know about Rodriguez.
Shifting relationship with the US
Shortly after Maduro’s arrest, Rodriguez and Maduro’s son appeared to be sympathetic to the deposed leader.
‘I come with sorrow for the suffering inflicted upon the Venezuelan people following an illegitimate military aggression against our homeland,’ Rodriguez said on Saturday.
Maduro’s son, Nicolas Maduro Guerra, added: ‘If we normalise the kidnapping of a head of state, no country is safe. Today, it’s Venezuela. Tomorrow, it could be any nation that refuses to submit.
‘This is not a regional problem. It is a direct threat to global political stability.’
Shortly after making the statement, however, Rodriguez appeared to change her tune to appease Trump.
‘We extend an invitation to the government of the US to work jointly on an agenda of cooperation, aimed at shared development, within the framework of international law, and that strengthens lasting peaceful coexistence,’ she said.
The choice of Rodriguez over Machado, the opposition leader, who was forced to live in hiding after supporting the candidate who replaced her in the election after she was barred by Maduro, has also caused some confusion.
Machado has been living in exile in Oslo, having fled Venezuela as threats against her mounted.
After winning the Nobel prize, she dedicated it to Trump, but Trump still appears not to trust Machado.
He said on Saturday: ‘She doesn’t have the support within, or the respect within, the country. She’s a very nice woman, but she doesn’t have the respect.’
From lawyer to vice president
Before joining the government, Rodriguez was a lawyer who worked in labour law. She spent years in England and France, where she received her postgraduate degrees.
After returning to Venezuela, she entered politics while Hugo Chavez was still the leader, serving as vice minister for European Affairs.
In 2013, shortly after Maduro also took office, she became a household name in Venezuelan politics.
Her brother, Jorge Rodriguez, is head of Venezuela’s National Assembly. In her own time in politics, she’s defended Maduro, eventually being named as his Vice President in 2018.
Previously, she served as finance minister and oil minister.
Rodriguez’s travels abroad have been cause for concern – out of all Venezuelan officials, she travels to China, Russia and Turkey the most.
Controversies and sanctions
Due to her role in Maduro’s government, Rodriguez has been the focus of sanctions from the European Union and a travel ban due to human rights violations.
She’s also sanctioned by the United States, Canada and Switzerland for ‘dismantling democracy’ in Venezuela.
She’s also banned from entering Colombia, which is known to oppose Maduro’s brutal regime.
In 2020, she was the focus of a scandal called ‘Delcygate’, in which she fraudulently sold 104 bars of Venezuelan gold to Spanish businessmen for millions.
Given her sanctions in the country, the sale sparked outrage, and the secrecy of her visit prompted security concerns.
Plans for the future
The US has given Rodriguez a list of demands for her time as interim leader in Venezuela, but made it clear they want her to step aside for free and fair elections when the time comes.
The US wants her to crack down on drug markets, stop the sale of oil to US enemies and kick out Iranian, Cuban and other foreign actors who work against America from her country.
Trump doesn’t seem worried that Rodriguez, who was a fierce defender of Maduro, will fight back against this.
He’s suggested she could face military action if she fails to cooperate, adding: ‘Venezuela, thus far, has been very nice. But it helps to have a force as we have. If they don’t behave, we will do a second strike.’
But for Rodriguez to dismantle the Maduro allies left in the country will be a battle in itself, someone close to Trump’s Venezuela operation told Politico: ‘It’s an unstable pit of vipers.’
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