- Delcy Rodríguez has assumed acting presidency after Nicolás Maduro's capture by US forces
- She is reshaping cabinet, security, and releasing political prisoners to consolidate power
- Rodríguez elevated key officials and is expected to make further government changes
In Venezuela, much of the choreography of power looks just as it did before Nicolás Maduro's capture by US Special Forces.
Delcy Rodríguez, his longtime deputy, has seamlessly moved into the role of acting president. She has chaired meetings with senior officials, greeted international envoys, welcomed the press at Miraflores Palace and met privately with diplomats.
But beneath the continuity, the bedrock of Chavismo — Venezuela's brand of socialism — is beginning to shift as Rodríguez quickly moves to consolidate authority and unite the fractured ruling coalition.
There are some subtle changes. Rodríguez's days start earlier, her public remarks are far more concise and the marathon speeches that defined Maduro's rule are gone. Public officials are now allowed back on X.
Other moves are far more consequential, including a reshaping of the cabinet and security apparatus and the release of dozens of political prisoners. Decisions on senior personnel are being received positively by the Trump administration, according to one person familiar with the matter who asked not to be named discussing sensitive deliberations.
Venezuela's information ministry and the US State Department didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.
“She's walking a tightrope, trying to please the US at the same time as trying to keep Chavismo together,” said David Smilde, a professor and Venezuela expert at Tulane University. “So far she's succeeded” and President Donald Trump “seems quite happy.”
Public signals of support have followed. On Tuesday, Nicolás Maduro Guerra, the ousted president's son and a sitting lawmaker, told government supporters in Caracas he had received messages from his father and stepmother, Cilia Flores, expressing confidence in Rodríguez and the team now leading the country.
Supporters at another demonstration Wednesday chanted: “Delcy, go ahead, you have our confidence.” The slogan has been repeated in a state television advertisement showing an animated image of Rodríguez.
Just three days after Maduro was captured, Rodríguez elevated central bank chief Calixto Ortega Sánchez to vice president of the economy ministry, a more powerful position coordinating the government's broader economic strategy across multiple ministries. She also named Gustavo González López, a former interior minister, to lead the Presidential Honor Guard, replacing Javier Marcano Tábata, after internal criticism that the unit failed to prevent Maduro's arrest.
Rodríguez appointed lawmaker Juan Escalona, a close Maduro ally, as minister of the presidency and government management oversight. It's a crucial role that acts as the president's principal link across the executive branch and helps drive policy implementation. Escalona replaces Aníbal Coronado, who was first shifted to the environment portfolio and then reassigned on Friday to the transportation ministry.
Also on Friday, Rodríguez appointed former Information Minister Freddy Ñáñez to the environment ministry, with journalist Miguel Pérez Pirela taking over his previous role.
Further changes are expected, people familiar with her plans said. Posts at state energy company Petróleos de Venezuela SA and the oil ministry are under review, the people said. Rodríguez continues to simultaneously serve as oil minister.
She's also expected to bring back longtime allies to key roles. Félix Plasencia, who attended a Friday meeting with Trump officials in Washington, is being considered for foreign minister or Venezuela's ambassador to the US as the relationship between both countries improves, according to people with knowledge of the plans.
Two influential but low-profile economists from Ecuador, Patricio Rivera and Fausto Herrera, who have been advising Rodríguez since at least 2019, are also playing key roles in the interim government, the people said. The men, who are key liasons for creditors and investors, both previously worked for their country's former president, Maduro's fellow socialist Rafael Correa.
Rodríguez is also expected to sideline figures with whom she has long clashed, the people said. On Friday evening, she announced Luis Antonio Villegas would take over the newly merged production and commerce ministries, replacing Colombian businessman and Maduro confidant Alex Saab.
Once the situation stabilizes, changes to the armed forces could follow. Speculation over Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino's possible retirement has resurfaced since Maduro's removal, raising the prospect of further shakeups among the highest ranks of the military. The US has posted a $15 million reward for information leading to Padrino's arrest or capture.
For now, Rodríguez publicizes her meetings with Padrino, saying they're discussing plans “to continue preserving peace” and thanking the armed forces for their “commitment to defending Venezuela's calm and stability.”
The political shifts are unfolding as the government continues to free prisoners in a process celebrated by Trump. Both Rodríguez and her brother, National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez, said earlier this week that the releases will continue, led by Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello.
By Wednesday, 406 people had been released, including 194 freed in December under Maduro, Delcy Rodríguez said. Of the nearly 200 expected to be released this month, independent organizations have so far confirmed only about half, including US citizens and other foreigners. Cabello has personally handed over several high-profile international prisoners, according to one of the people.
Rodríguez and Cabello have long had a tense relationship, but the two have appeared aligned in private meetings, the people said. Cabello publicly pledged loyalty to Rodríguez early on, and has often appeared together with the acting president and her brother in a show of unity.
Cabello, a hardline Chavista power broker, appears to have tightened his personal security. His two television programs since the US raid were recorded outside their usual studio, and state television has delayed broadcasts of some of his press conferences, steps the ousted president himself took in the months before his capture. The US has put a $25 million bounty on Cabello.
Behind the scenes, party leaders were given clear instructions.
“Unity is the first thing that must be preserved,” some officials were told during a private meeting held days after Maduro's capture, according to a leaked memo seen by Bloomberg News.
So far, that message has shaped the image Rodríguez's government is projecting.
She's “trying to prioritize unity over change,” Smilde, the Tulane professor, said.
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