Delcy Rodriguez: Meet the 'Iron Lady of Caracas' now running Venezuela

In a seismic shift for Latin America's most volatile nation, Delcy Rodríguez has stepped into Venezuela's acting presidency following a bold US special forces operation that toppled longtime strongman Nicolas Maduro on January 3, 2026.

The 57-year-old firebrand, a key architect of Venezuela's socialist regime for over two decades, now holds the reins amid chaos, promising "unwavering defence" against opposition forces and foreign meddlers.

Rodríguez's political DNA traces back to the revolutionary era of Hugo Chávez, Venezuela's charismatic leader from 1999 to 2013.

As a fierce loyalist, she joined Chavez's inner circle early, serving as his deputy in the National Assembly and later as foreign minister.

Her rhetoric was pure fire: she branded US leaders "imperialist vampires" and spearheaded anti-sanctions campaigns that rallied Chavistas while alienating the West.

After Chavez's death, Rodríguez seamlessly backed Maduro, becoming Venezuela's vice president in 2018 and effectively its de facto power broker.

Nicknamed the "Iron Lady of Caracas," Rodríguez's tenure was marked by ruthless crackdowns.

She orchestrated the 2019 "Operation Thunder" raids that jailed hundreds of opposition activists, drawing US sanctions that barred her from American soil — infamously stranding her at a 2020 Amsterdam layover in the "Delcy Rodríguez Affair."

Under her watch, Venezuela's economy cratered: hyperinflation hit 1.7 million percent in 2018, oil production plummeted 80% due to mismanagement, and over 7.7 million citizens fled as refugees.

Yet she blamed it all on a US "economic war," doubling down on alliances with Russia, Iran, and China for oil deals and military aid.

Maduro's dramatic fall came via "Operation Liberty Dawn," a US-led raid involving Navy SEALs and CIA assets that captured him in his Miraflores Palace bunker.

Maduro is now in US federal custody in New York City, held at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn after being captured by US forces in an operation in Caracas and flown to the US to face charges of narco-terrorism and drug trafficking.

He arrived in New York on January 3, 2026, following his ouster, and faces an arraignment on Monday (January 5, 2026).

With Maduro out, Rodríguez invoked constitutional Article 233 to claim interim leadership, vowing to "crush traitors" and restore order.

Critics call her a "Maduro clone," predicting more repression, while supporters hail her as Venezuela's saviour.

Already, street protests rage in Caracas, and regional powers like Brazil and Colombia eye intervention.

As Rodríguez consolidates power — surrounded by loyalist militias and Russian Spetsnaz advisors — the world watches.

Will she pivot toward elections, or entrench the Bolivarian Revolution? One thing's clear: Venezuela's turmoil just got fiercer.