Delcy Eloína Rodríguez Gómez, born on May 18, 1969, is a Venezuelan lawyer, diplomat, and politician. Since January 2026, she has been serving as the acting president of Venezuela following the detention of Nicolás Maduro during a United States operation. Rodríguez has held the position of vice president of the country since 2018.
Throughout the administrations of Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro, Rodríguez occupied several key government roles. She served as Minister of Popular Power for Communication and Information from 2013 to 2014, Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2014 to 2017, President of the Constituent Assembly from 2017 to 2018, and Minister of Petroleum between 2024 and 2025.
Rodríguez is a member of the national leadership of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela. She has been sanctioned by the European Union, the United States, and Canada over alleged human rights violations and her role in Venezuela’s political crisis. Her vice presidency was disputed between 2019 and 2023.
On January 3, 2026, Nicolás Maduro was detained during a large-scale operation carried out by U.S. forces. As a result, Delcy Rodríguez assumed executive authority as acting president in order to maintain administrative continuity, although her long-term role in the government remains unclear.
Later that day, Rodríguez appeared on state television, stating that Maduro remains Venezuela’s only legitimate president. Nevertheless, the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Tribunal of Justice ordered her to assume the presidency on an interim basis to ensure the continuity of governance and the comprehensive defense of the nation.