The Pathfinder
Monday January 5, 2026
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Cilia Flores, the wife of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, has for decades been one of the most influential yet understated figures in the country’s ruling socialist movement.
Contents
* Background and early political roots.
* Meeting Maduro and rise within Chavismo
Controversies during time in parliament.
* Role after Chávez and marriage to Maduro.
*Why is she called the ‘first combatant.’
* Family scandal and international sanctions
* Return to parliament and current standing
* A polarising political figure
Known within Chavismo as the “first combatant”,
Flores is more than a ceremonial first lady; she is a trained lawyer, seasoned politician and a trusted adviser who has helped shape the direction of Venezuela’s leadership.
Background and early political roots
Cilia Flores, wife of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, has been a central figure in the country’s socialist movement for decades.
Popularly called the “first combatant” within Chavismo, she is regarded as more than a ceremonial first lady, having built her own political identity as a lawyer and legislator.
Born in 1956 in Tinaquillo, central Venezuela, Flores grew up in working-class communities in western Caracas. Trained in labour and criminal law, she became politically active in the early 1990s and provided legal assistance to Hugo Chávez and other military officers arrested after the failed 1992 coup against then-president Carlos Andrés Pérez.
* Meeting Maduro and rise within Chavismo
Flores met Maduro during the campaign, demanding Chávez’s release from prison. Both were deeply involved in grassroots activism, and their shared commitment to the Chavista cause formed the basis of a partnership that has lasted more than three decades.
While supporting the movement, Flores pursued an independent political career. She was first elected to the National Assembly in 2000 and returned in 2005, becoming the first woman to preside over Venezuela’s parliament in 2006 after Maduro was appointed foreign minister.
Controversies during time in parliament
Flores’ tenure as parliamentary leader attracted criticism, particularly over restrictions placed on journalists’ access to legislative proceedings and allegations of employing relatives in Congress.
She rejected the accusations as politically motivated, insisting that those hired were qualified for their roles.
Between 2009 and 2011, she served as second vice president of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV). In 2012, Chávez appointed her attorney general, further strengthening her standing within the ruling political structure.
* Role after Chávez and marriage to Maduro.
Following Chávez’s death, Flores became part of the close circle that supported Maduro during the tense transition period. The couple married in July 2013, shortly after Maduro’s narrow victory in the presidential election.
From that point, Flores reduced her public visibility, rarely making media appearances. Political analysts, however, believe she remained a key adviser, particularly during internal power struggles as Maduro consolidated control over rival figures within Chavismo.
* Why is she called the ‘first combatant’?
Maduro replaced the traditional title of first lady with “first combatant”, describing the former as an aristocratic concept. Although informal, the title reflects Flores’ identity as a political partner rather than a ceremonial spouse.
Despite the symbolic change, her public role has remained similar to that of first ladies elsewhere, often associated with social causes and public outreach.
Family scandal and international sanctions
Flores returned to international headlines in 2015 after two of her nephews were arrested by undercover US Drug Enforcement Administration agents on drug-trafficking charges.
Though she described the arrests as a kidnapping, the men were convicted in the United States and later released in 2022 as part of a prisoner exchange.
In 2018, Canada sanctioned Flores alongside other senior Venezuelan officials following reports of human rights abuses by the Maduro government. The United States later imposed similar sanctions, citing Maduro’s reliance on a close inner circle to remain in power.
* Return to parliament and current standing.
Despite maintaining a low public profile, Flores remained politically active. She was elected to the pro-government Constituent Assembly in 2017 and later returned to the National Assembly in 2021, a position she held at the time of her arrest.
* A polarising political figure.
Today, Flores is widely seen as inseparable from Maduro in the public imagination. Analysts say she has not pursued a distinct feminist agenda but instead closely follows the broader Chavista ideology.
During the disputed 2024 presidential campaign, she re-emerged alongside Maduro at rallies, reinforcing her continued influence within Venezuela’s ruling circle.
(CNN)
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