Cilia Adela Flores de Maduro
Cilia Flores
Full Name: Cilia Adela Flores de Maduro
Native Name: Cilia Adela Flores de Maduro
Role: First Lady of Venezuela (former)
Spouse: Nicolás Maduro
Children: Three
Nationality: Venezuelan
Years Active as First Lady: 5 March 2013–5 January 2026 �
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Introduction
Cilia Flores was the First Lady of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela from 2013 until January 2026 and was one of the most politically powerful presidential spouses in Latin America. A lawyer by profession and a veteran of the Chavista movement, she had already established an influential political career long before becoming the wife of President Nicolás Maduro.
Often referred to by the Chavista government as the “First Combatant”, Flores was far more than a ceremonial presidential spouse. She served as President of Venezuela’s National Assembly, Attorney General, and a senior figure within the ruling socialist movement. Her close political partnership with Maduro made her an important presence at the center of Venezuelan political life. �
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Her First Ladyship ended in January 2026 following the capture and removal of Nicolás Maduro from power. The position is currently vacant. �
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Official Title: First Lady of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
Cilia Flores served as Venezuela’s First Lady during Nicolás Maduro’s presidency.
The position was primarily representative, but Flores’s own political career gave her considerably greater influence than the traditional First Lady role would normally entail. She frequently appeared alongside Maduro at government events and remained closely involved in the ruling political establishment.
Within the Chavista movement, Maduro promoted the alternative title “First Combatant of the Republic”, reflecting Flores’s longstanding revolutionary credentials and political activism. �
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Early Life
Cilia Adela Flores was born on 15 October 1956 in Tinaquillo, Cojedes State, Venezuela.
She studied law at the Universidad Santa María in Caracas and became involved in Venezuelan politics during the rise of Hugo Chávez.
Her breakthrough came after the failed 1992 coup attempt led by Chávez. Flores was part of the legal team that represented Chávez while he was imprisoned, and her involvement helped establish her as a committed supporter of the emerging Chavista movement. �
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Family Life
Flores was previously married to Walter Gavidia Rodríguez, with whom she had three sons.
She later developed a long-term relationship with Nicolás Maduro, whom she had met through the Chavista movement. The couple married on 15 July 2013, several months after Maduro became president. They do not have children together. �
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Becoming First Lady
Nicolás Maduro became president following Hugo Chávez’s death, winning the April 2013 presidential election. Flores subsequently became First Lady, beginning a tenure that would last for almost thirteen years. �
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By that point, she was already a major political figure. She had been elected to the National Assembly, became its first female president in 2006, and later served as Venezuela’s Attorney General. �
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Public Role
Flores maintained an unusually political First Ladyship.
She remained involved with Venezuela’s governing movement and served as a member of the National Assembly during her years as presidential spouse. She also appeared regularly alongside Maduro at political rallies, government ceremonies, and public events.
Her political influence extended well beyond the ceremonial expectations normally associated with a First Lady, making her one of the most consequential presidential spouses in contemporary Venezuela.
A First Lady Who Was Also a Political Powerhouse
What makes Cilia Flores particularly fascinating in the history of First Ladies is that she did not become influential because she married the president—she was already influential before she became his wife.
Her career included leadership of Venezuela’s legislature and service as Attorney General, giving her substantial institutional experience. Her long association with Hugo Chávez and the Chavista movement also placed her close to the political forces that transformed Venezuela during the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. �
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End of Her First Ladyship
Flores’s tenure ended abruptly on 5 January 2026, following the capture of Nicolás Maduro and his removal from power. She was captured alongside Maduro and subsequently taken to the United States. �
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The Venezuelan presidency subsequently entered a new political phase, leaving the position of First Lady vacant. �
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Legacy
Cilia Flores leaves behind one of the most politically distinctive First Ladyships in modern Latin America.
Her story encompasses law, revolutionary politics, parliamentary leadership, executive power, presidential influence, and family. Unlike the largely ceremonial First Ladies found in many countries, Flores was an established political operator in her own right.
For anyone interested in the world’s First Ladies, she stands out as a particularly striking example of how the role can intersect with—and sometimes become inseparable from—the machinery of political power.
- 15 October 1956
- Venezuela
- Nicolás Maduro
- 5 March 2013–5 January 2026
