Venezuela's Vice-President and Oil Minister Delcy Rodriguez addresses the media in Caracas, Venezuela, March 10, 2025. REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/File Photo
(New York, New York) – Questions continue to swirl over who is leading Venezuela – and from where – following the reported capture of President Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces and the apparent absence of senior government officials from public view.
According to multiple sources cited by Reuters, Venezuela’s vice president and oil minister Delcy Rodríguez is currently in Russia, while her brother, National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez, remains in Caracas. The split locations of top officials have deepened uncertainty about who is exercising executive authority inside the country.
Rodríguez appeared earlier Saturday in an audio message aired on state television demanding proof of life for Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. Jorge Rodríguez has not made a public appearance since the U.S. operation, further clouding the question of succession.
Adding to the uncertainty, President Donald Trump said the United States will effectively “run” Venezuela following the operation. When asked whether the U.S. presence could become an extended stay, Trump said it would not cost the United States anything and that American forces would remain in the country “as long as we feel comfortable.”
The comments suggest a potentially prolonged U.S. role in Venezuela at a moment when the country’s constitutional leadership structure appears unclear. With senior officials either abroad or silent and U.S. forces asserting control, it remains unresolved who Venezuela’s next president is — and where that authority is being exercised.
