Caryslia Beatriz Rodríguez Rodríguez is a Venezuelan attorney, politician and judge who was named by Nicolás Maduro as president of Venezuela's Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ) in January 2024, while also serving as a judge in the Electoral Chamber of the high court. A member of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), she previously served as the acting mayor of Caracas, and was counselor for the government and headed the Municipal Chamber of Caracas.[1]
Education
editRodríguez attended primary and secondary school in Maracay.[2] She graduated in 1993 from the Central University of Venezuela, where she was a friend of Cilia Flores, Maduro's wife.[1] She obtained a master's degree in military criminal law[3] and was pursuing a doctorate as of 2024 from the University of Nueva Esparta.[2][4]
Career and politics
editBeginning in June 2014, Rodríguez was a legal consultant to IPOSTEL, the Postal Telegraph Institute of Venezuela.[2] She also worked for the Venezuelan Transmission Network.[4]
Rodríguez joined the Fifth Republic Movement, started by Hugo Chávez, in the 1990s, and founded its women's board.[4] Active in municipal politics representing the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) in Caracas from 2018, Delcy Rodríguez appointed her to a substitute board position in Caracas metropolitan management.[3] As an active member of PSUV through 2021,[5] she served with PSUV support[2] as the acting mayor of Caracas between August and November 2021, and was elected in 2018 councilor as a PSUV representative[6] for the government and headed the Municipal Chamber.[1] She was a candidate in the 2021 PSUV primaries.[3] According to Infobae, Rodríguez once "described herself as a woman committed to the revolution, loyal to Commander Hugo Chávez and President Nicolás Maduro".[6]
Supreme Tribunal of Justice
editOn 26 April 2022,[2] Rodríguez was named a judge to the Electoral Chamber of the TSJ[3] by the National Assembly of Venezuela, "which is aligned with the Nicolás Maduro regime", according to El Diario de Caracas, where she was immediately made president.[4]
Ruling number 122 from that Electoral Chamber annulled the 2023 Unitary Platform presidential primaries, which were won by María Corina Machado.[5][6]
On 17 January 2024,[2] she was elevated to president of the TSJ, replacing Gladys Gutiérrez.[3] Infobae wrote that "In the judicial field, despite her limited previous experience, her appointment to the Electoral Chamber and subsequent presidency of the TSJ have been seen by some as an extension of Nicolás Maduro's influence in the judicial branch."[6]
2024 presidential election
editAfter the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election, a 6 August article in The New York Times stated that the National Electoral Council (CNE) declaration that Maduro won "plunged Venezuela into a political crisis ... and provoked global denunciation."[7] Maduro did not acknowledge the results which showed him losing the election,[8] and instead asked the TSJ on 1 August to audit and approve the results.[9][10][11][12] One of the candidates, Enrique Márquez, called for Rodríguez to recuse because of her connections to Maduro, his party and his administration,[1] noting "her political ties with the ruling party".[13]
On 22 August, as anticipated,[10][14][15][16] after reviewing materials submitted, the TSJ, composed of justices loyal to Maduro, validated the CNE's statements of a win by Maduro in a statement read by Rodríguez.[17][9][12][14] The court stated that the opposition vote tallies were falsified; the Associated Press wrote that the Maduro administration "has claimed—without evidence—that a foreign cyberattack staged by hackers from North Macedonia delayed the vote counting on election night and publication of the disaggregated results."[12] Jorge Rodríguez, National Assembly president, claimed that the opposition vote tallies had been forged.[13]
In announcing the TSJ decision, Rodríguez said that a criminal investigation would be conducted regarding "presumably false" results that were published.[9]
Following the TSJ ruling, Márquez said he would ask the Constitutional Chamber of the high court to review the decision.[18]
Sanctions
editOn 12 September, the United States Department of the Treasury sanctioned 16 individuals involved in fraud of 2024 Venezuelan presidential election, including Rodríguez.[19]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d Méndez, Maryorin (22 August 2024). "Caryslia Rodríguez: La magistrada que pitó a favor del régimen es del círculo íntimo de los Maduro-Flores" [Caryslia Rodríguez: The magistrate who called in favor of the regime is part of the Maduro-Flores inner circle]. NTN24 (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Zambrano, Reynaldo Mozo (18 January 2024). "Quién es Caryslia Beatriz Rodríguez, la nueva presidenta del TSJ" [Who is Caryslia Beatriz Rodríguez, the new president of the TSJ]. Efecto Cocuyo (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Figuera, Roison (17 January 2024). "Quién es Caryslia Beatriz Rodríguez, la nueva presidenta del TSJ" [Who is Caryslia Beatriz Rodríguez, the new president of the TSJ]. Tal Cual (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ a b c d Flores, Jordan (17 January 2024). "Designaron a Caryslia Rodríguez como nueva presidenta del TSJ" [Caryslia Rodríguez was appointed as the new president of the TSJ]. El Diario de Caracas (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ a b Antolínez, Héctor (18 January 2024). "Movida en el TSJ pone fichas del PSUV en puestos importantes" [Move in the TSJ puts PSUV chips in important positions]. Crónica Uno (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Quién es Caryslia Beatriz Rodríguez, la operadora judicial a la que Maduro le encargó decidir sobre la legalidad de las elecciones en Venezuela" [Who is Caryslia Beatriz Rodríguez, the judicial operator who was commissioned by Maduro to decide on the legality of the elections in Venezuela]. Infobae (in Spanish). 2 August 2024. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
- ^ Kurmanaev, Anatoly (6 August 2024). "Venezuela's Strongman Was Confident of Victory. Then Came the Shock". New York Times. Archived from the original on 7 August 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ Phillips, Tom (14 August 2024). "Nicolás Maduro's refusal to quit raises a troubling question for Venezuela: what next?". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
- ^ a b c "Venezuela's top court ratifies Maduro election win as government tightens control". Reuters. 22 August 2024. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
- ^ a b Buschschlüter, Vanessa (1 August 2024). "Maduro manoeuvring to stay in power in Venezuela". BBC. Archived from the original on 1 August 2024. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
Mr Maduro has turned to Venezuela's top court ... But instead of making the tallies public, he took the unusual step of filing a 'writ of amparo' - a legal move normally used by citizens who think their constitutional rights have been violated. He asked the top court to audit the voting tallies with a view to confirming the results provided by the CNE which handed him another six-year term in power. ... However, this move has already been dismissed by independent bodies, including the Carter Center.
- ^ Tovar, Javier; Agelvis, Barbara (15 August 2024). "Brazil, Colombia urge new Venezuela vote, as opposition cries foul". Agence France-Presse. Yahoo News. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ a b c "Venezuela's Supreme Court certifies Maduro's claims that he won presidential election". Associated Press. 22 August 2024. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
Its decision, read Thursday in an event attended by senior officials and foreign diplomats, came in response to a request by Maduro to review vote totals showing he had won by more than 1 million votes.
- ^ a b Moleiro, Alonso (22 August 2024). "Venezuela election: Edmundo González says Supreme Court cannot perform the functions of the National Electoral Council". El Pais. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ a b Turkewitz, Julie; Glatsky, Genevieve (22 August 2024). "Venezuela's Supreme Court, Loyal to Maduro, Rules Him Election Winner". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
The decision surprised few Venezuelans, as the court has long been used to rubber-stamp the policies of Mr. Maduro, who is likely to use this ruling to strengthen his claim to the presidency.
- ^ Vyas, Kejal (22 August 2023). "Maduro's Hand-Picked Supreme Court Calls Him Venezuela's Election Winner". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
The court's ruling was expected, as it is stacked with loyalists to Maduro's ruling Socialist Party.
- ^ "Venezuela's Supreme Court, a tribunal that dispenses justice tailored to Nicolás Maduro's needs". El Pais. 23 August 2024. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
- ^ Phillips, Tom (22 August 2024). "Pressure grows on Maduro after top court endorses Venezuela election win". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
- ^ Méndez, Maryorin (23 August 2024). "Enrique Márquez solicitará una revisión del fallo del Tribunal sobre las elecciones venezolanas y pide que lo acompañen" [Enrique Márquez will request a review of the Court's ruling on the Venezuelan elections and asks for support]. NTN24 (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ Buschschlüter, Vanessa (12 September 2024). "US sanctions Maduro allies linked to Venezuela's disputed election". bbc.com. BBC. Retrieved 13 September 2024.