# After Maduro's capture, Delcy Rodríguez holds a contested interim presidency
> Sworn in under Article 233 following the January US raid, she extends a hand to Trump while insisting Maduro is still the only president

**Meta:** type: story · date: 2026-01-05 · heads: 谁说了算, 战争究竟如何收场 · 11 takes · 3 lenses · 7 regions

## Summary

[Venezuela's](/zh/entity/venezuela) Vice-President Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as acting president on
5 January 2026 before the National Assembly, the first woman to exercise the office ([谁说了算](/zh/head/who-decides)).
She took power under Article 233 after the [US](/zh/entity/united-states) struck Caracas on 3 January, detained
President Nicolás Maduro and transferred him to New York ([战争究竟如何收场](/zh/head/how-wars-actually-end)). Rodríguez
insists "there is only one president … Nicolás Maduro," framing the arrangement as a vacancy, not a
handover. Her authority is contested internally: Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello commands much of
the security apparatus and pro-government armed groups, while opposition figure María Corina Machado's
claim to lead is dismissed by Washington. Maduro's son backed Rodríguez even as she signalled openness
to Trump. Power in Caracas is divided, not resolved.

## By the numbers

- 3 Jan 2026 — US strikes on Caracas and Maduro's capture.
- 5 Jan 2026 — Rodríguez sworn in as acting president.
- Article 233 — constitutional clause invoked for the succession.
- 1st — woman to exercise Venezuela's presidency.
- 2 — rival power centres inside the state (Rodríguez vs Cabello).

## Why it matters

A captured president, a titular successor who denies she has succeeded, an interior minister with the
guns and a US-rejected opposition leave Venezuela without a settled executive. The standoff governs
oil flows, regional migration and whether Washington's intervention yields a transition or prolonged
factional rule.

## What to watch

- Whether Cabello moves against Rodríguez or they hold an uneasy truce.
- US terms toward Caracas and Maduro's legal fate in New York.
- Any move toward elections, negotiation, or further security operations.

## Regional takes (batched by bias / lens)

### unlabelled
- **Asamblea Nacional de Venezuela** (Venezuela, es) — Venezuela's National Assembly — the chamber before which Delcy Rodríguez took the oath of acting president under Article 233 of the constitution; the official forum for the Chavista state's account of the succession described below.
  > "Vice-President Rodríguez is sworn before the National Assembly as acting president under Article 233."
  Source: https://www.asambleanacional.gob.ve/
- **NPR** (United States, en) — 
  Source: https://www.npr.org/2026/01/04/g-s1-104439/venezuelans-wonder-who-in-charge
- **Euronews** (Europe, en) — 
  Source: https://www.euronews.com/2026/01/06/from-maduros-tigress-to-venezuelas-interim-president-who-is-delcy-rodriguez
- **Bloomberg** (United States, en) — 
  Source: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-01-05/maduro-s-son-backs-rodriguez-even-as-she-extends-hand-to-trump
- **Britannica** (United States, en) — 
  Source: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Who-Is-Delcy-Rodriguez-the-Acting-President-of-Venezuela
- **International Crisis Group** (Belgium, en) — 
  Source: https://www.crisisgroup.org/stm/latin-america-caribbean/venezuela-united-states/venezuela-after-maduro-transaction-or-transition
- **Atlantic Council** (United States, en) — 
  Source: https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/dispatches/us-just-captured-maduro-whats-next-for-venezuela-and-the-region/
- **House of Commons Library** (United Kingdom, en) — 
  Source: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-10452/
- **Wikipedia (Delcy Rodríguez)** (Global, en) — 
  Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delcy_Rodr%C3%ADguez

### independent Venezuelan / fact-checking
- **Efecto Cocuyo** (Venezuela, es) — An independent Caracas outlet covering the de facto leadership in real terms — who actually commands the security apparatus — and the gap between Rodríguez's title and Diosdado Cabello's control of interior and armed groups, against the official 'Maduro remains president' line.
  > "Rodríguez holds the title while Cabello commands the security apparatus; power is contested, not settled."
  Source: https://efectococuyo.com/

### international reportage
- **Al Jazeera** (Qatar, en) — Reports the swearing-in after the US 3 January strikes and Maduro's transfer to New York, noting Rodríguez is the first woman to exercise the presidency in Venezuela yet insists 'there is only one president, and his name is Nicolás Maduro' — capturing the legitimacy fiction.
  > "Rodríguez sworn in after Maduro's abduction; she says Maduro remains the country's only president."
  Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/5/delcy-rodriguez-sworn-in-as-venezuelas-president-after-maduro-abduction

## Across the graph
- Related: [[colombia-de-la-espriella]]
- Entities: Venezuela, United States

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