Venezuela is experiencing a moment that recently seemed unimaginable. After the arrest of Nicolás Maduro and his transfer to the US, power has shifted to Delcy Rodríguez. The decision to appoint her as interim president was made swiftly to prevent a political vacuum. The country’s Supreme Court wasted no time with formalities—Rodríguez is now officially in the presidential seat.
Within the country, Chavismo supporters immediately rallied around the new leader. Rodríguez is no newcomer to Venezuelan politics. She has held key positions for years, from ministerial roles to chairing the National Constituent Assembly. Always at the center of events, she never shied away from sharp conflicts and openly defended the regime’s interests. But now, as she reaches the pinnacle of power, she faces a host of both old and new challenges.
Sanctions and Restrictions
The main issue is the tough sanctions imposed by the European Union. Rodríguez has long been on Brussels’ blacklist. Since 2018, she has been banned from entering EU countries, and all her assets in Europe have been frozen. The reason: accusations of human rights violations and suppressing the opposition. In 2021, she tried to challenge these measures in the EU court, but lost. European judges saw no grounds to lift the restrictions.
Nevertheless, diplomacy sometimes prevails over bans. In 2023, Rodríguez did appear in Brussels at the EU–CELAC summit. Officially, this was by special permission, since the sanctions regime allows exceptions for extraordinary circumstances. But this is more an exception than the rule. The rest of the time, she is barred not only from entering Europe but even from airport transit zones.
The Spanish connection
A particularly notable episode in Rodríguez’s biography is one that continues to irritate many in Spain. In January 2020, her plane landed at Madrid’s Barajas Airport. Technically, she had no right to set foot on EU territory. But the plane was not turned back, and Rodríguez spent several hours in the VIP area of the airport.
That night, then Spanish Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos came to meet her. Authorities tried for a long time to keep the details of the meeting under wraps, but the scandal reignited when it emerged that the minister had not just met Rodríguez, but held talks with her. The official line was that she had not crossed the border and therefore had not formally violated the ban. But the opposition and much of the public were outraged: Spain had effectively allowed a sanctioned figure onto its soil.
Political fallout
Dubbed ‘Delsigate’, this case has become a real headache for the Spanish government. Lawmakers debated in parliament whether the country had broken European laws. Judicial authorities ultimately found no crime had been committed, but the political fallout lingered. Spain found itself in an awkward position before Brussels, and Rodríguez at the center of an international scandal.
Since then, the name Delcy Rodríguez in Spain has been associated not only with Venezuelan politics, but also with questions over the transparency and principles of Madrid’s foreign policy. The scandal has not been forgotten, and now that Rodríguez has become Venezuela’s interim president, old wounds have resurfaced.
A new chapter
The situation around Venezuela and its new authorities remains extremely tense. The EU is in no rush to review sanctions, while Spain is forced to balance political interests with international obligations. Rodríguez, despite all the restrictions, continues to play a key role in the region. Her past and ties to Spain make her a figure of particular interest in both Madrid and Brussels.
Venezuela has entered a new era in which old conflicts and diplomatic maneuvering take on new meaning. Spain, having found itself at the center of one of the most high-profile episodes in recent years, now has little choice but to watch events unfold without being able to directly influence them. And Delcy Rodríguez, despite every obstacle, has once again returned to the heart of the political stage.
