Vice President Delcy Rodriguez became the leader of Venezuela. What you need to know

After the US attacks on Venezuela and the kidnapping of President Nicolas Maduro, Delcy Rodriguez became acting president in accordance with the country's constitution, and she took the oath of office on January 3. It is not known whether she will be able to keep this post, since the United States has promised to independently govern Venezuela and prosecute officials loyal to President Maduro. What is known about Delcy Rodriguez and who else can lead Venezuela is in the Izvestia article.

Who is Delcy Rodriguez?

• Delcy Rodriguez can be called an associate of Maduro: she has been vice president of Venezuela since 2018. Rodriguez is considered a tough and smart politician. A lawyer by training, she has worked in the government of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez since 2003.

In 2014, under the rule of President Nicolas Maduro, Rodriguez was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs. Two years later, she defended Maduro's nephews, who were detained in the United States on charges of drug smuggling: Maduro's wife, Celia Flores, claimed that the nephews had been abducted.

The abyss of captivity: how and why the United States captured the president of Venezuela

Washington's actions have been condemned in many countries around the world, and an unprecedented operation could result in a military confrontation in the region.

• Rodriguez is the legitimate successor to the president in an emergency situation, and her candidacy is supported by the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), the country's ruling party. According to the Venezuelan Constitution, in an emergency situation that is declared for 90 days in the event of an external or internal conflict, Rodriguez will lead the country during the entire emergency period, after which elections must be called. The emergency mode can also be extended for another 90 days.

• Rodriguez is under sanctions from Colombia, Canada, Mexico, Switzerland, the United States and the European Union. Restrictions against her were introduced after the 2018 presidential elections in Venezuela, which resulted in the victory of Nicolas Maduro. Switzerland, Mexico and the EU have also announced the freezing of Rodriguez' assets.

• Rodriguez was suspected of involvement in a corruption scandal. In 2020, already under sanctions prohibiting entry into the Schengen area, she made a secret visit to Spain. Allegedly, Rodriguez met with the corrupt Spanish Minister of Transport, Jose Luis Abalos, and several businessmen there to sell gold bars from Venezuela.

"Let's pray that God will protect our lives, our families, and protect Venezuela."

Izvestia collected monologues from eyewitnesses of the attack on Venezuela

Who can lead Venezuela

• Trump said during a press conference that the United States would govern Venezuela until it was possible to ensure a "proper" transition of power. Earlier, the United States officially recognized Maduro's rival in the last election, opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez, who fled to Spain, as the elected president of Venezuela.

• Maria Corina Machado, another opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has already spoken out on social media in support of Gonzalez's candidacy as leader of the republic. She herself is tipped for the post of vice president of the country. Machado is being promoted in the United States and Europe as the new leader of Venezuela: there is an opinion that Gonzalez will only be a temporary replacement for Machado and ensure her legitimate transfer of power.

• Foreign analysts doubt that the Gonzalez–Machado team will be able to be brought to power quickly, since the armed forces and law enforcement agencies of Venezuela are autonomous and subordinate to the president and vice president of the country, therefore, the process of establishing power from the outside is unlikely to be peaceful, and as a result of such actions, the country may plunge into civil war.