Delcy Rodriguez, Venezuela's Vice President and Oil Minister, was officially sworn in as the country's interim president on January 5, 2026. This event took place amidst a dramatic backdrop: the U.S. had launched a military action, deposing President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were subsequently captured and appeared in a New York court on drug charges. Rodriguez, a 56-year-old labor lawyer with strong ties to the private sector and the ruling party, was sworn in by her brother, Jorge, who heads the national assembly legislature. The ceremony also marked the swearing in of 283 lawmakers elected in May, with only a small number of opposition members present, as most of the opposition, particularly the faction led by Nobel Prize winner Machado, boycotted the event. The absence of the First Lady, Cilia Flores, who is in U.S. custody, added a layer of complexity to the proceedings.
