Delcy Rodriguez

Delcy Eloína Rodríguez Gómez (born 18 May 1969) is a Venezuelan lawyer, politician, and diplomat who has been interim president of Venezuela since 2026, following the capture of Nicolás Maduro during the U.S. intervention in Venezuela. She is the first woman in Venezuelan history to perform the duties of the presidency. A member of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), Rodríguez served as the 24th vice president under Maduro's government since 2018.

The daughter of guerilla leader and politician Jorge Antonio Rodríguez, Rodríguez was born and raised in Caracas. When she was seven years old, her father was murdered while in custody of the DISIP. In 1993, Rodríguez graduated from the Central University of Venezuela (UCV) with a Bachelor of Laws' degree. During her time there, Rodríguez was a student leader and activist. She then studied labor law in Sorbonne University in Paris and social policy in Birkbeck, University of London, but did not graduate from either of them.

In 2002, following the failed coup attempt against then-president Hugo Chávez, Rodriguez along with her elder brother Jorge entered politics. In 2006, President Chávez appointed Rodríguez Minister for Presidential Affairs, serving in this post for around six months. In 2013, following the death of Chávez, Maduro became president and appointed Rodríguez Minister of Popular Power for Communication and Information. In 2014, Rodríguez was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs and served in this role until 2017, where she was appointed President of the Constituent National Assembly of Venezuela following the Constituent Assembly election. In June of the following year, President Maduro appointed Rodríguez vice president. During her tenure in the role, Rodríguez also served as Minister of Economy and Finance from 2020 to 2024, and as Minister of Petroleum and Hydrocarbons from 2024.

On 3 January 2026, the United States carried out strikes in Venezuela and arrested President Maduro on drug trafficking charges. Rodríguez was officially sworn in as acting president on 5 January, thus becoming the first woman to exercise the powers of the presidency in Venezuelan history. Despite Maduro's de facto removal from power, both he and Rodríguez claim that he remains the legal officeholder.