The strongest earthquake in Venezuela in more than a century is the most serious test for Delcy Rodriguez's early rule, but it could also give her an opportunity to consolidate her authority at the head of a divided government and begin the reconstruction of a devastated country, reports "Reuters".
After Venezuela was rocked by two earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.2 and 7.5 on Wednesday evening, it could be weeks before the full extent of the destruction becomes clear. According to US government models, the death toll could eventually exceed 10,000.
However, some things are already clear. Rescuing people trapped under the rubble, treating the injured and rebuilding homes and infrastructure will require enormous efforts.
It is this process that could prove decisive for Rodriguez’s political future.
A close ally of US President Donald Trump, she has sought to portray herself as an agent of political change, despite having served as vice president under her predecessor, socialist Nicolas Maduro, who was ousted by Washington in January.
"The narrative of a new Venezuela is built on reconstruction," said Caracas-based political scientist Tony Franji Mouad. "It is somewhat ironic that the country now has to face the extremely difficult, but quite literally, rebuilding of its infrastructure".
Franji points out that rescue operations and reconstruction will face enormous challenges due to the prolonged economic crisis and weakened public services. The efforts may even fail.
"However, if the government manages to manage the recovery process well - especially with the international aid that is already arriving - and is able to build the right public narrative, it can use this moment to create a sense of national unity, a kind of rallying around the national flag in the face of a natural disaster," he added.
Rodriguez is already trying to do just that.
"With unity, we will overcome this situation," she emphasized immediately after the disaster.
Earthquakes have changed political history before
Large-scale support from the United States could prove decisive in ending the crisis. In 1999, the late President Hugo Chavez refused American aid after landslides killed at least 10,000 people, an early sign of the anti-American policies that would later deepen Venezuela's international isolation.
Rescue operations continued across the country on Monday, with hundreds still buried under rubble and many more missing.
Analysts say aid from the Trump administration could both strengthen the US role in Venezuela and the government's dependence on Washington.
"This is a situation that will be used very skillfully to increase the American presence and influence of the United States in Venezuela. At the same time, it will allow Rodriguez to rely on Washington as his main ally," said Ricardo Rios, head of the consultancy Poder & Estrategia in Caracas.
Earthquakes have also determined the political fate of Latin American leaders in the past.
In 1972, a powerful earthquake destroyed much of Managua and killed between 5,000 and 10,000 people. Corruption in dealing with the aftermath led to the downfall of President Anastasio Somoza, who was overthrown by the Sandinista Revolution in 1979.
In 1985, Mexico City was devastated by a powerful earthquake, killing at least 5,000 people and leaving about 100,000 homeless. The failure of the rescue operation is considered a turning point that brought an end to the Institutional Revolutionary Party's seven decades of one-party rule.
In Venezuela, it is Rodríguez who will likely bear political responsibility for any mistakes or mismanagement of the recovery process that could spark public discontent and affect its future.
"Venezuela's ability to respond to emergencies has been severely undermined over the past 10 to 15 years due to economic turmoil and the migration of some 8 million Venezuelans out of the country," said Paul Angelo, a Latin America expert at McLarty Associates, a Washington-based consulting firm.
"Without large-scale international assistance, without a unified plan of action, and without an infusion of significant financial resources into a country whose debt is estimated at around $240 billion, recovery will be a long and difficult process".