Delcy Rodriguez, the interim president of Venezuela, alongside Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez (to her left) and Cuban foreign minister Bruno Rodriguez Padilla (to her right), Caracas, January 8, 2026. LEONARDO FERNANDEZ VILORIA/REUTERS
There has been no power vacuum in Venezuela. One week after the US raid on President Nicolas Maduro’s bunker in Caracas, the country has continued to function, calm has prevailed and Delcy Rodriguez, 56, is at the helm. Donald Trump has expressed satisfaction with the excellent relations he has maintained with the vice president, who has now become interim president. Rodriguez’s government “[has] been great,” said the US president following a meeting on Friday, January 9, with representatives of major American oil companies, adding that” Everything we’ve wanted, they’ve given us.” Trump wants these companies to invest quickly and heavily in Venezuela, under his oversight.
Two days after the abduction of Maduro, the Supreme Tribunal of Justice appointed Vice President Rodriguez to serve as interim president. The interim presidency allows the authorities to bypass the Venezuelan Constitution, which, in the event of a permanent vacancy of power, requires elections to be held within 30 days. Maduro’s absence, since he remains incarcerated in New York, appears likely to continue. Nonetheless, the authorities in Caracas have made it clear that they do not intend to organize elections.
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