As Venezuela stands, former officials and regional experts caution that the nation may not be undergoing a democratic transition but rather a period of heightened instability and internal conflict among potential successors, with some warning it could be more dire than Maduro’s rule.

Marshall Billingslea, the former assistant secretary for terrorist financing and financial crimes in the U.S. Treasury Department, stated that Maduro’s removal has laid bare a fragmented system that was never held together by a single strongman, but by competing criminal power centers now operating independently.

“The cartel has always been a loose alliance, with each mafia boss having their own centers of influence,” Billingslea said. “Maduro was the frontman, but he didn’t exert total control. Now we’re seeing each of those centers branching out on their own.”

Billingslea noted that Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, was as significant as Maduro’s removal itself.

“The capture of Cilia Flores is particularly momentous because she was the mastermind behind the operations and the one who eliminated potential rivals,” he said. “Her removal is equally consequential.”

Billingslea outlined what he described as five competing power centers, four within the regime and one outside it. “The removal of Maduro, and especially the removal of Cilia Flores, has created a massive power vacuum in the cartel,” he said. “We haven’t achieved a new balance yet.”

In the interim, he foresees a high risk of internal power struggles, violence, and further repression as rival factions vie for control in post-Maduro Venezuela. But he points out that the Trump administration anticipates this and is implementing a clear-sighted strategy to first secure U.S. core interests, followed by the gradual restoration of democracy, all without requiring American “boots on the ground.”

Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s long-time vice president, was swiftly elevated. However, her ascension has done little to reassure Venezuelans or international observers that substantial change is on the horizon.

Rodríguez is deeply entrenched in the Maduro system and has long played a central role in overseeing Venezuela’s internal intelligence and security apparatus. According to regional reports, her focus since taking office has been on consolidating control within these institutions rather than signaling political reform.

Former U.S. and regional officials contend that Delcy Rodríguez’s rise has revived long-standing questions about who truly influences her decisions as she moves to consolidate power.

Those officials highlight Rodríguez’s deep ties with Cuban operatives, which aided in building and operating Venezuela’s internal security and surveillance apparatus over the past two decades. Cuban operatives played a pivotal role in shaping how the regime monitored dissent and protected senior leadership, embedding themselves within Venezuela’s intelligence services.

At the same time, former officials say Rodríguez appears to be testing cooperation with Washington, creating uncertainty about the extent of leverage the United States actually has. Some view her limited engagement with U.S. demands as tactical, aimed at buying time while she works to secure loyalty within the regime and neutralize rival factions.

A former Venezuelan official previously asserted that Rodríguez “hates the West” and represents continuity with the Maduro regime, not a break from it.

Diosdado Cabello, one of the country’s most feared figures, has emerged as a central player in the .

Cabello, who wields influence over the ruling party and interior security, has been rallying armed colectivos and loyalist groups. These groups have been active in the streets, detaining opponents and reinforcing regime authority through intimidation.

Sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury for corruption and alleged ties to drug-trafficking networks, Diosdado Cabello is seen as a figure capable of consolidating power through force rather than institutions.

Jorge Rodríguez, president of the National Assembly and brother of Delcy Rodríguez, remains one of the regime’s most important political operators.

Rodríguez has served as a key strategist for Maduro, overseeing communications, elections, and internal coordination. Recent reports indicate he continues to work closely with his sister to maintain control over intelligence and security structures, bolstering the regime’s grip despite Maduro’s removal.

Experts say Rodríguez could play a central role in shaping any managed transition that preserves the system Maduro constructed.

Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López, long regarded as the backbone of Maduro’s survival, remains a critical figure as well.

While Padrino López has not publicly positioned himself as a successor, analysts note that the armed forces are no longer unified behind a single leader. Senior generals are divided into competing factions, increasing the risk of internal clashes or a shift toward overt military rule if civilian authority weakens further.

Beyond the power struggle among regime elites, Venezuela faces a broader peril.

Large parts of the country are already under the influence of . As centralized authority weakens, these actors could exploit the vacuum, expanding control over territory and smuggling routes.

Experts warned that an uncontrolled collapse could unleash forces more violent and unpredictable than Maduro’s centralized repression, and the unfolding events suggest that risk is escalating.

Outside the regime, opposition leader María Corina Machado remains the most popular political figure among Venezuelan voters. But popularity alone may not be sufficient to translate into power.

Machado lacks control over security forces, intelligence agencies, or armed groups. As repression intensifies and rival factions maneuver, her ability to convert public support into political authority remains uncertain.

Analysts say Maduro’s fall did not dismantle Venezuela’s power structure; it fractured it.

With armed loyalists in the streets, rival factions competing behind the scenes, and an interim leader struggling to assert authority, Venezuela now faces a perilous period where the aftermath of Maduro’s rule could prove more chaotic—and potentially more brutal—than what came before, experts say. For Venezuelans, the question is no longer whether Maduro is gone, but whether anything replacing him will be better.