The US capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro - described by President Donald Trump as shocking and powerful - has left uncertainty over who is really running the oil-rich country.
Trump said on Saturday that Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, part of the powerful government's inner circle, had been sworn in after Maduro's arrest and had spoken with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, fueling speculation that she would take over.
Under Venezuela's constitution, Rodríguez becomes acting president in Maduro's absence, and the country's highest court ordered her to take over the role late Saturday night. But shortly after Trump's remarks, Rodríguez appeared on state television, flanked by her brother and National Assembly leader Jorge Rodríguez, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López, declaring that Maduro remains Venezuela's sole president.
The joint exit signaled that the group that shared power with Maduro is staying united – at least for now.
Trump publicly shut the door on Saturday on working with opposition leader and Nobel laureate María Corina Machado, widely seen as Maduro's most credible opponent, saying she lacks support at home. After Machado was barred from running in the 2024 election, international observers said her replacement won convincingly, despite Maduro's government claiming victory.
For more than a decade, real power in Venezuela has been held by a small circle of senior officials. Analysts and officials say the system relies on a vast network of loyalists and security agencies, fueled by corruption and surveillance.
Within the inner circle there is a civil-military balance. Each member has their own interests and patronage networks. Currently, Delcy Rodríguez and her brother represent the civilian wing, while Padrino and Cabello represent the military wing.
According to Reuters interviews with current and former U.S. officials, Venezuelan and U.S. military analysts, and opposition security consultants, this power structure makes dismantling the current government much more complicated than simply removing Maduro.
"You can remove as many parts of the Venezuelan government as you want, but it would take many actors at different levels to really change the situation," said a former US official involved in criminal investigations related to Venezuela.
