"When Delcy Rodriguez chaired her first council of ministers meeting as the acting president of Venezuela on Sunday, the portraits of the two leaders who preceded her loomed on the wall behind her. These were Hugo Chavez, who transformed Venezuela into a socialist state, and Nicolas Maduro, who continued Chavez's legacy and drove the country deeper into autocracy before his capture by US forces on Saturday."
"Rodriguez, 56, is a stalwart of both the Chavez and Maduro governments, having served as Maduro's oil minister and vice president. The daughter of a Marxist revolutionary, Rodriguez relentlessly defended the Maduro regime against accusations of drug-trafficking and election-stealing. She will be answerable to Venezuela's socialist movement, chavismo, which is reeling from the toppling of its leader. RELATED: Bay Area rallies protest U.S. incursion in Venezuela But another person will also be watching over her actions as the country's interim leader: US President Donald Trump."
"Despite Rodriguez's chavismo credentials, Trump said he believes she is essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again. But Trump's praise has come laced with threats. If she doesn't do what's right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro, Trump told The Atlantic. Rodriguez, who was formally sworn in as acting president on Monday, is now walking a political tightrope as she tries to defend Venezuela's shaken sovereignty without angering Washington."
Delcy Rodriguez chaired her first council of ministers meeting as acting president with portraits of Hugo Chavez and Nicolas Maduro behind her. Nicolas Maduro was captured by US forces, leaving chavismo reeling. Rodriguez is a stalwart of Chavez and Maduro governments, having served as oil minister and vice president, and is the daughter of a Marxist revolutionary. She defended the Maduro regime against accusations of drug-trafficking and election-stealing and must answer to the socialist movement. US President Donald Trump offered praise paired with threats, urging cooperation while warning of severe consequences. Rodriguez initially condemned Maduro's capture, then proposed cooperation with the United States. She was sworn in on Monday and now walks a political tightrope between defending sovereignty and avoiding Washington's ire.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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