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Jorge Rodríguez | |
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 Rodríguez in 2023 | |
| 12thPresident of the National Assembly of Venezuela | |
Incumbent (contested) | |
| Assumed office 5 January 2021 | |
| Disputed with | Dinorah Figuera |
| Preceded by | Luis Parra |
| Deputy of theNational Assembly for theCapital District | |
| Assumed office 5 January 2021 | |
| Minister of Popular Power for Communication and Information | |
| In office 3 November 2017 – 4 September 2020 | |
| President | Nicolás Maduro |
| Preceded by | Ernesto Villegas |
| Succeeded by | Freddy Ñáñez |
| 5th Mayor of theLibertador Bolivarian Municipality | |
| In office 1 December 2009 – 3 November 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Freddy Bernal |
| Succeeded by | Luis Lira (acting) |
| Vice President of Venezuela | |
| In office 8 January 2007 – 3 January 2008 | |
| President | Hugo Chávez |
| Preceded by | Jose Vicente Rangel |
| Succeeded by | Ramón Carrizales |
| President of theNational Electoral Council | |
| In office 2005–2006 | |
| Preceded by | Francisco Carrasquero |
| Succeeded by | Tibisay Lucena |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jorge Jesús Rodríguez Gómez (1965-11-09)9 November 1965 (age 60) |
| Party | United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV)(from 2007) Fifth Republic Movement(until 2007) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Parent |
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| Relatives | Delcy Rodríguez (sister) |
| Alma mater | Central University of Venezuela |
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Jorge Jesús Rodríguez Gómez (born 9 November 1965) is a Venezuelan politician serving asPresident of the National Assembly of Venezuela since 2021. He is the brother ofDelcy Rodríguez, the vice president and acting president ofVenezuela.
He was vice president of Venezuela under the government ofHugo Chávez from 8 January 2007, to 3 January 2008, rector and president of theNational Electoral Council from January 2005 to April 2006, and mayor of Caracas from November 2008 to December 2017. He served as Venezuela’sMinister of Communication and Information under PresidentNicolás Maduro from November 2017 until 4 September 2020, when he left the position to successfully run in that year’sparliamentary elections in theCapital District.
Born inBarquisimeto, he is the son ofJorge Antonio Rodríguez, co-founder of theSocialist League (Venezuela), who on 26 February 1976 allegedly participated in the kidnapping ofWilliam Niehous, an American businessman and head of operations forOwens-Illinois in Venezuela, claiming that he was linked to theCentral Intelligence Agency (CIA),[1] resulting in the longest kidnapping in Venezuela's history, with a duration of 3 years and 4 months. After being captured by officials of theNational Directorate of Intelligence and Prevention Services on 23 July 1976, he died 2 days later at the age of 34 due to a heart attack after being brutally tortured during his detention.[2][3] His sister,Delcy Rodríguez, has also served as a senior official during the Maduro administration.[4] According toEl País, Delcy Gómez, mother of Jorge Rodríguez"was marked by that crime. She instilled in her children the obligation to be the best, to conquer power, and to avenge the death of their father".[1]
Rodríguez studied medicine at theLuis Razetti School of theCentral University of Venezuela and obtained a specialization inpsychiatry at the same institution.[1] He was a resident doctor at theVenezuelan Institute of Social Security (1995); a professor in the Psychiatry postgraduate program at theUniversity Hospital of Caracas and in the community clinical psychology postgraduate program at theAndrés Bello Catholic University, practiced privately, and served as medical director of Residencias Humana (2002). In 1998, he won first prize in the Annual Story Contest organized by the Venezuelan newspaperEl Nacional in 1998, with his workDime cuántos ríos son hechos de tus lágrimas.[5]
On 3 January 2007, PresidentHugo Chávez announced that Rodríguez would be the next vice president, replacingJosé Vicente Rangel.[6] He was sworn in on 8 January, two days before Chávez's swearing in for his next term as president. During his university years, he stood out as a leader of the UCEVISTA student movement. He was president of the Student Center of the "Luis Razetti" School of Medicine (1987) and a year later President of the Federation of University Centers (1988); he was also a member of the so-called "Plancha 80" of theCentral University of Venezuela, along with other figures such asJuan Barreto and Anahí Arizmendi.
Rodríguez was president of the National Electoral Board, one of the subdivisions of theNational Electoral Council (CNE), responsible for technically organizing thepresidential recall referendum in 2004. According toEl País, Rodríguez’s CNE helped delay the referendum (legally possible since 2003), giving Chávez time to distributesubsidies that were crucial for his victory, which reportedly boosted Rodríguez’s political career.[1]
Subsequently, Rodríguez was appointed president of the same body between January 2005 and April 2006, after the previous CNE president, Francisco Carrasquero, was appointed magistrate of theSupreme Tribunal of Justice by theNational Assembly.[7] In 2006, with the appointment of new Electoral Power authorities by the Venezuelan parliament, he left the CNE, working for a time at the government news networkTelesur as host of the interview program “Latitud América.” After being part of the electoral authority, he openly declared himself a supporter of President Chávez.
On 3 January 2007, it was announced that he would be appointed Vice President of Venezuela by the newly re-elected PresidentHugo Chávez Frías, replacingJosé Vicente Rangel. Rodríguez assumed this position on 8 January 2007, when he was officially sworn in at theTeatro Teresa Carreño.[8] On 9 January, he was also appointed president of the National Organizing Committee (CON) of theCopa América 2007, with the approval of theFVF, replacingAristóbulo Istúriz, who held that position while serving as Minister of Education and Sports.[9]
In 2007, his name was mentioned in theFBI investigation regarding theSuitcase scandal, which alleges that the operation to cover up the origin and destination of the funds was coordinated with Rodríguez’s office and the Venezuelan Directorate of Intelligence and Prevention Services (DISP). In the Venezuelan context, it is said that people close to Rodríguez allegedly threatenedAntonini Wilson to prevent him from revealing information about the funds.[10] One month after the electoral defeat of the2007 Venezuelan constitutional referendum, Chávez restructured his cabinet, replacing Jorge Rodríguez withRamón Carrizales as vice president. Chávez stated that Rodríguez would focus exclusively on promoting the emerging United Socialist Party of Venezuela.[11]
After serving as Vice President of the Republic ofVenezuela under theHugo Chávez's second term, he was appointed on 3 January 2008, to the top role in forming a new party that involved the union of leftist Venezuelan political parties of Chavista tendency to create theUnited Socialist Party of Venezuela.[12] The President also tasked him with organizing the founding congress and coordinating strategies for future electoral events. Within the internal elections of the organization, he was elected mayoral candidate for the Libertador municipality of Caracas in theregional elections of November 2008, in which he obtained 53% of the votes, replacing his co-memberFreddy Bernal.
Rodríguez was mayor of Caracas from 23 November 2008, having been elected with 53% of the votes. On 8 December 2013, Rodríguez was re-elected Mayor of theLibertador Municipality of theCapital District in Venezuela for the 2014-2018 term, against the opposition politicianIsmael García,[13] with 54.55% of the votes. The press highlighted that Rodríguez won with a 12% difference with a 59% participation rate when the average voter turnout is 50%.[14] He also hosts the television programLa Política en el Diván, which is broadcast every Thursday onVenezolana de Televisión (VTV).
Rodríguez was elected as president of theNational Assembly of Venezuela, after being nominated by theGreat Patriotic Pole on 5 January 2021. Rodríguez will direct the first year of the 5th Legislature of the National Assembly, which resulted fromelections held on 6 December 2020.[15][16][17] Rodríguez played a significant role in information control and in the government'spropaganda. His closeness toMaduro and his role in the administration were central to maintaining the regime’s power. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of theUnited States Department of the Treasury sanctioned Rodríguez for his involvement in acts of corruption and political repression.[18][19][20] He was sanctioned by Canada on 22 September 2017 for his role in the erosion of democracy.[21] In 2007, his name was mentioned in theFBI investigation into the Antonini Wilson suitcase case, which alleged that the operation to conceal the origin and destination of the funds was planned in collaboration with Rodríguez’s office and Venezuela’s Directorate of Intelligence and Prevention Services (DISIP). In Venezuela, it was reported that people close to Rodríguez allegedly threatened Antonini Wilson to prevent him from revealing information about the funds.[22]
Jorge Rodríguez Gómez, together with his sisterDelcy Rodríguez, the vice president of the Republic, forms an influential duo whose political clout facilitated the rise of a new economic elite around them. Among their main associates are the Abou Nassif brothers, of Lebanese origin, who control a network of companies that prospered thanks to their relationship with the Rodríguez siblings.[23] This network includes businesses in construction, tourism services, real estate, food imports, and packaging. Yussef Abou Nassif, considered Delcy Rodríguez’s romantic partner, has been a key link to power, while Nabil Abou Nassif worked closely with Jorge Rodríguez when he was mayor of Caracas. The Abou Nassif group obtained multimillion-dollar contracts, especially through the Local Committees for Supply and Production (CLAP) program, receiving at least US$413 million between 2017 and 2018, and another €145 million in 2019 for importing hemodialysis kits.[23] The relationship between the Rodríguez siblings and the Abou Nassif brothers was essential for building a business empire that expanded into multiple sectors, leveraging the Rodríguez siblings’ privileged position in the Venezuelan government.[23] Another linked businessman is Majed Khalil Majzoub, identified as a front man for Rodríguez and a beneficiary of electricity and food import contracts.[24]
According to theFinancial Times, Rodríguez held talks with the United States government in 2025 to have his sister lead a post-Maduro transitional government, though those talks had included Maduro being allowed to go into exile instead of being captured as he was in the2026 United States strikes in Venezuela.[25]
Rodríguez has beensanctioned by several countries and is banned from entering neighboring Colombia.
On 22 September 2017,Canada sanctioned Rodríguez due to rupture of Venezuela's constitutional order following the2017 Venezuelan Constituent Assembly election.[26][27]
In January 2019, Rodríguez was one of over 200 people with a "close relationship and support for the Nicolás Maduro regime", who were banned from entering Colombia.[28][29]
The United States sanctioned Rodriguez on 25 September 2018 for his efforts in solidifying President Maduro's power in Venezuela.[30]
Inicialmente serían más de 200 las personas incluidas dentro de esta lista de posibles inadmitidos por Colombia, dada su estrecha relación y apoyo al régimen de Nicolás Maduro
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Mayor of Libertador Municipality 2008–2017 | Succeeded by Luis Lira |
| Preceded by | Vice President of Venezuela 2007–2008 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
