- United States struck Caracas and reportedly captured President Maduro and wife Cilia Flores
- Cilia Flores, born 1956, rose from humble beginnings to Venezuela's powerful ruling circle
- Flores became Hugo Chavez's lawyer and later Venezuela's attorney general
The United States carried out a large strike in Venezuela's Caracas and flew President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores out of the country, President Donald Trump said on Monday.
On Truth Social, he wrote, “The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country.”
The announcement also put the spotlight on Cilia Flores, a powerful figure in her own right within Venezuela's ruling circle.
Early Life And Background
Cilia Flores was born on October 15, 1956, in Tinaquillo, a small city in northwestern Venezuela. She was the youngest of six siblings and grew up in a mud-brick shack with a dirt floor.
Her father was a travelling salesman who hawked sundry goods in nearby towns. Flores' family later moved to Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, in search of better opportunities. Flores enrolled in a private university to study criminal law.
Who Is Cilia Flores
Flores initially gained prominence as Hugo Chavez's lawyer and eventually became Venezuela's attorney general. Some call her Lady Macbeth, while she refers to herself the “First Revolutionary Combatant,” according to The National Post.
As a student, she was not particularly interested in politics. She worked part-time at a police station, transcribing statements from witnesses, and married a longtime boyfriend, a police detective, with whom she had three sons. After earning her law degree, she spent most of the next decade working as a defence attorney for a private firm.
Political Awakening
Flores' political journey began in 1989 during the Caracazo, a series of riots triggered by a fuel price hike that shook Caracas. Reflecting on the moment, she later told state television, it awakened in her a “revolutionary calling,” reported Reuters.
The events also inspired Hugo Chavez, then an Army lieutenant colonel, to stage a failed coup in 1992. Flores was smitten by him, spray-painting his name around Caracas. Soon, she sent Chavez a letter offering to assist with his legal defence, which he accepted.
She began counselling him and responding to letters from his supporters.
Rise To Power And Relationship With Maduro
During an early visit, Flores met a Caracas union leader also advising Chavez: Nicolas Maduro. Years later, Maduro described her as having a “fiery character,” adding that he began to wink at her. Both were in the process of divorcing their respective spouses, and they eventually became a couple.
Chavez Ally To Power Broker
After receiving a presidential pardon in 1994, Chavez was advised by Flores and others to leave behind his military image and present himself as a civilian leader focused on helping the poor.
By 1997, Flores was part of the campaign team that helped Chavez win the presidency the following year. Around the same time, Maduro was elected as a legislator.
Flores went on to win a seat in the National Assembly in 2000.
A Hard-Line Figure In Government
Inside the legislature, Flores developed a tough reputation. When she was elected leader of the National Assembly in 2007, she openly called opposition lawmakers “sinners.”
In 2012, Chavez appointed her attorney general, a post she held until his death in March 2013. Maduro, then vice president, won the election to succeed him, and the couple married in July 2013.
As first lady, Flores first made small changes at the presidential palace, but she soon began taking on a much bigger role.
