Who is Cilia Flores? Venezualan president Nicolas Maduro's wife also faces charges in the US

It comes after the pair were captured during a US operation in Venezuela that included a “large-scale strike” on Saturday. Maduro and Flores were flown out of the country after they were taken.

US Attorney General Pam Bondi said Maduro and Flores would “soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts”.

Mr Maduro was indicted in 2020 on “narco-terrorism” conspiracy charges, but it was not previously known that his wife had been.

Who is Cilia Flores, Venezualan president Nicolas Maduro’s wife?

Cilia Flores is a prominent figure in her own right. Often referred to by her supporters as “La Primera Combatiente” (“the First Female Fighter”), Flores has played a significant role in Venezuelan politics before and during her husband’s presidency.

Born on October 15, 1956, in Tinaquillo, Cojedes state, Cilia Adela Flores grew up in modest circumstances. She trained as a lawyer, a background that helped shape her early political career. Flores became involved in left-wing politics during the rise of Hugo Chávez in the late 1990s, aligning herself with the Bolivarian movement that sought to reshape Venezuela’s political system through socialism, anti-imperialism, and greater state control of key industries.

Flores rose to national prominence after Chávez’s election in 1998. She became a close ally of the late president and a senior figure within the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV). In 2006, she was elected to the National Assembly, Venezuela’s legislature, and later served as its president from 2006 to 2011. During this period, she was one of the most powerful women in Venezuelan politics, overseeing legislation that expanded the government’s authority and reinforced Chávez’s political project.

In addition to her role in the legislature, Flores also served as Attorney General of Venezuela in 2012, though her appointment was controversial. Critics argued that it blurred the lines between the judiciary and the executive branch, while supporters said it reflected her legal experience and loyalty to the government.

Cilia Flores married Nicolás Maduro in 2013, shortly before he was elected president following Hugo Chávez’s death. Since then, she has acted as First Lady, though her influence goes well beyond ceremonial duties. Flores is frequently seen alongside Maduro at political rallies, international summits, and official state events. She is widely regarded as one of his closest advisers and a key figure within the inner circle of the Venezuelan government.

Her tenure as First Lady has not been without controversy. In 2015, two of her nephews were arrested and later convicted in the United States on drug trafficking charges. The case attracted international attention and was used by critics of the Maduro government to highlight allegations of corruption and criminality within Venezuela’s ruling elite. Flores has consistently denied any involvement and described the case as politically motivated.

As a public figure, Flores is a polarising presence. Supporters view her as a symbol of revolutionary commitment and female empowerment within the socialist movement. Opponents accuse her of wielding excessive influence behind the scenes and of benefiting from Venezuela’s highly centralised system of power.

Her husband has one son, Nicolás Maduro Guerra, whom he appointed to senior government posts, and Flores has an adopted son, Efraín Antonio Campo Flores, who is her nephew - she adopted him after her sister died.