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LATIN AMERICA ADVISOR

LATIN AMERICA ADVISOR

A daily publication Of the dialogue

January 15, 2026

Why Are Maduro’s Top Lieutenants Still in Charge?

Delcy Rodríguez, who served as Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s vice president, was sworn in as the country’s interim president after Maduro’s ouster. // File Photo: Government.ru via Wikimedia Commons CC BY 4.0.

Q

  • The U.S. government has no immediate plans to incorporate top Venezuelan opposition leaders into the political transition process following U.S. forces’ seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, White House advisor Stephen Miller told CNN on Jan. 5. Delcy Rodríguez, who was Maduro’s vice president, was sworn in as interim president the same day as Miller’s statement; key figures in the opposition to Maduro’s government, including 2024 presidential candidate Edmundo González and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize María Corina Machado, remain in exile. Why have Venezuela’s leading political opposition figures thus far been excluded from the post-Maduro reconstruction? What’s behind the U.S. government’s apparent confidence in Delcy Rodríguez? How will Venezuela’s political transition play out?

A

Carrie Filipetti, executive director of the Vandenberg Coalition: “President Trump’s first administration focused on Venezuela out of the clear recognition that America’s interests—regional security, ending drug trafficking and weaponized immigration, pushing adversaries out the region and ensuring a safe haven for American businesses—would be at risk as long as the Maduro regime remained. Now that Maduro is gone, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has outlined a three-phase plan: stability, recovery and transition. Trump has calculated that, at least in the short term, some continuity with the regime is necessary for stability…”

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The Inter-American Dialogue publishes the Latin America Advisor every business day for a distinguished membership of informed corporate leaders, scholars, and government officials invested in Latin America’s development and future. The Advisor‘s highly regarded Q&A section covers questions submitted by subscribers themselves. Commentators regularly include heads of state, business leaders, diplomats, economists, analysts, and thought leaders from around the world. Many of the world’s largest and fastest-growing companies subscribe to the Advisor. To subscribe, click here. For terms and conditions, click here. For more information, contact Gene Kuleta, editor of the Advisor, at gkuleta@thedialogue.org.
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Diego Arria
Director,
Columbus Group

Merike Blofield
Professor of Political Science,
University of Hamburg

Devry Boughner Vorwerk
CEO,
DevryBV Sustainable Strategies

Joyce Chang
Global Head of Research,
J.P. Morgan

Marlene Fernández
Corporate Vice President for Gov’t Relations,
Arcos Dorados (McDonald’s)

Peter Hakim
President Emeritus,
Inter-American Dialogue

Donna Hrinak
Director,
Adtalem Global Education

Jon E. Huenemann
Council Member,
GLG Inc.

James R. Jones
Chairman,
Monarch Global Strategies

Craig Kelly
Senior Director,
Int’l Gov’t Relations,
Exxon Mobil

Barbara Kotschwar
Professor of Political Economy,
Georgetown University

John Maisto
Director,
US Education Finance Group

Nicolas Mariscal
Chairman,
Grupo Marhnos

Thomas F. McLarty III
Chairman,
McLarty Associates

Beatrice Rangel
Director,
AMLA Consulting

Ernesto Revilla
Head of Latin American Economics, Citi

Gustavo Roosen
President,
IESA

Andrés Rozental
President, Rozental &
Asociados

Shelly Shetty
Managing Director,
Sovereigns, Fitch

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