AZVEN UPDATE 1 FEB 2019
NOTE; Very interesting back story. From Daily Mail - UK
Gracias
The ruthless rise of Venezuela's first lady:
How a career in TV and law helped Nicolas Maduro's wife become his chief advisor, amid drug trafficking and human rights abuse claims
Cilia Flores has been at the heart of Venezuelan politics for three nearly decades
Over that period, the 62-year-old has faced numerous allegations of corruption ranging from nepotism to drug trafficking to human rights abuses
Flores grew up in the small town of Tinaquillo and rose to political prominence in the 1990s as a lawyer for revolutionary Hugo Chavez
It was during that time she was first introduced to Nicolas Maduro, whom she married some two decades later in 2013
Flores became the legislature's first woman president in 2006 under Chavez
She became attorney general in 2012, months before Chavez died from cancer
After Maduro took office, Venezuela descended into authoritarianism
Meanwhile, he and Flores put on a show of domestic bliss in a perceived attempt to soften the dictator's public image
By MEGAN SHEETS FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 17:55 EST, 31 January 2019 | UPDATED: 18:59 EST, 31 January 2019
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6654575/How-dictator-Nicolas-Maduros-wife-Venezuelas-powerful-woman.html
Standing proudly alongside her embattled dictator husband Nicolas Maduro, Cilia Flores may appear to be like any other first lady.
But she is more than a dutiful politician's wife.
She is a lawyer, television host, political trailblazer and trendsetter.
She is also - according to some - the most powerful woman, indeed person, in Venezuela.
A former Venezuelan government researcher described Flores as a 'secretive, conniving and ruthless political operative'
and 'Maduro's chief adviser in all political and legal matters'.
She has also been dubbed 'a Venezuelan Claire Underwood' - referencing the House of Cards character played by Robin Wright.
The 62-year-old has been at the heart of Venezuelan politics for nearly three decades, dating back before she and Maduro first met.
Over that period she has faced numerous allegations of corruption ranging from nepotism to drug trafficking to human rights abuses.
As conflict within the nation's presidency has reached a fever pitch over the last week, amid massive street protests
and the US recognition of opposition leader Juan Guaido as the rightful leader, many Venezuelans are pinning just as much blame on Flores as they are Maduro.
The insider said: 'In the end, she is Maduro's wife. She will fall on the same pit as Maduro.'
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Cilia Flores, the wife of embattled dictator Nicolas Maduro, is widely regarded as the most powerful woman in Venezuela.
Insiders have described the veteran prosecutor and politician as a 'puppet master' who bears just as much responsibility
for the nation's ongoing political and humanitarian crisis as Maduro does +14
Flores has been at the heart of Venezuelan politics for nearly three decades, dating back before she and Maduro first met. Over that period she has faced numerous allegations of corruption ranging from nepotism to drug trafficking to human rights abuses +14
Flores came from humble beginnings, having been born in the small town of Tinaquillo.
She rose to prominence in the 1990s as a lawyer for Hugo Chavez, whom she pledged her loyalty to during his days leading the Bolivarian Revolution.
It was during that time she was first introduced to Maduro, who is ten years her junior, but the couple didn't get married until some two decades later.
After Chavez was arrested following an attempted coup d'état in 1992, it was Flores who helped to secure his release from prison in 1994. When he became president four years later, Flores was by his side as one of his most staunch defenders.
She became the first female president of the legislature in 2006 under the Chavez administration, a job she took over from Maduro.
Flores became Venezuela's attorney general in 2012, months before Chavez died from cancer and the year before Maduro took over the presidency.
Flores rose to prominence in the 1990s as a lawyer for Hugo Chavez, whom she pledged her loyalty to during his days leading the Bolivarian Revolution.
She is seen at the president's right hand in 2009 (above) +14
A former Venezuelan government researcher described Flores as a 'secretive, conniving and ruthless political operative'
and 'Maduro's chief advisor in all political and legal matters' +14
During the race to replace Chavez after his death five years ago, one senior official said of Flores:
'She will be Maduro's "strong arm".'
At the time, Maduro said Flores would not be a first lady but instead
'the first fighter of the fatherland, the first socialist, the first woman of the people of the barrios, of the streets'.
The political power couple tied the knot two months after Maduro's election -
a union that insiders say may have cemented her as the most powerful person in the country, even more powerful than her husband.
In the years after Maduro took office, Venezuela has descended into authoritarianism
and his administration's strong-arm tactics have become increasingly violent.
His regime has been blamed for dozens of murders, thousands of unlawful detentions, the displacement of more than a million people,
and widespread food shortages inflamed by Maduro's refusal to accept humanitarian aid.
Meanwhile, Flores and Maduro put on a show of domestic bliss, frequently holding hands in public,
exchanging loving glances in front of photographers
and referring to each other with pet names in a perceived attempt to soften the dictator's public image.
Flores has made an effort to soften her husband's image and counteract his abysmal approval ratings
by putting on a show of marital bliss in front of the cameras +14
During the election after Chavez' death, one senior official said of Flores: '
She will be Maduro's "strong arm".'
At the time, Maduro said Flores would not be 'the first fighter of the fatherland, the first socialist, the first woman of the people of the barrios, of the streets'
Flores launched a reality TV show called Con Cilia En Familia (With Cilia in the Family) in 2015.
The show's ratings were even more dismal than her husband's approval ratings +14
Flores even started hosting a reality TV show called Con Cilia En Familia (With Cilia in the Family) in 2015.
A Guardian review of the first episode describes her TV persona as 'the once-fiery lawyer in decidedly demure mode'.
In the first installment, the cameras followed Flores as she visited a pediatric hospital and an old people's home
before reminiscing with cabinet ministers about the Bolivarian socialist revolution.
The Guardian writes: 'The syrupy political correctness of the show could hardly be further removed from the risqué telenovelas that Venezuela was once famous for,
but Flores's appearance on Sunday is far more in keeping with government's views on how the media should be used.'
The show's ratings were even more dismal than the public's approval of her husband at the time.
'Cilia has tried to soften President Maduro's image by projecting a more relatable image,'
Los Angeles-based branding expert Jeetendr Sehdev told Fox News.
'But rumors of nepotism and her nephew's recent drug trafficking attempts make her and President Maduro seem like a deadly power duo.'
Cilia, who has three children from her previous marriage, is pictured with family during her husband's presidential campaign in 2013.
They were married two months after the election +14
'Cilia has tried to soften President Maduro's image by projecting a more relatable image,' branding expert Jeetendr Sehdev said.
'But rumors of nepotism and her nephew's recent drug trafficking attempts make her and President Maduro seem like a deadly power duo' +14
'
John Polga-Hecimovich, an assistant professor of political science at the US Naval Academy,
described her as 'a Venezuelan Claire Underwood' - referencing the House of Cards character played by Robin Wright.
He told Fox News: 'She is a true believer in Hugo Chávez's Bolivarian Revolution and is known as the
"Primera Combatiente Revolucionaria" or "First Revolutionary Combatant."'
That's a nickname that she gave herself.
The government researcher previously mentioned said of Flores:
'There is no decision issued by the Supreme Court that she hasn't reviewed and approved.
She is good friends with Minister Varela (Iris Varela, the Jail Minister) and his brother is the Chief of the CICPC, Venezuela's FBI.
She also discovered Maikel Moreno, head of the Supreme Court.'
'Her enemies are mostly out of the government now. Her arch nemesis was former Prosecutor General Luisa Ortega
,' the insider told Fox News. Flores was a leader of the ANC (Constituent National Assembly),
a legislative body responsible for penning a new constitution for Venezuela that was behind the decision to oust Ortega.
That body has been widely condemned as a sham.
Flores' time in positions of power has been wrought with a multiple allegations of misconduct.
'Cilia is a very intelligent and ambitious woman, she has supported this political model since Day One,'
Caracas-based journalist and political activist Noris Argotte said.
'In the pro-government media, she is portrayed as a fighter. Her haters, of course,
are all of the opposition supporters; they see her as a woman who has taken advantage of her position to have luxuries.'
Under her leadership, nearly 40 of Flores' relatives assumed prominent public service positions, leading to accusations of nepotism.
Flores was sanctioned last September by the US Treasury Department over her alleged promotion of corruption, drug trafficking, and human rights abuses.
'President Maduro relies on his inner circle to maintain his grip on power, as his regime systematically plunders what remains of Venezuela's wealth,'
Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin remarked at the time.
'We continue to designate loyalists who enable Maduro to solidify his hold on the military and the government while the Venezuelan people suffer.'
Maduro responded to the sanctions by saying:
'If you want to attack me, attack me, but do not mess with Cilia, do not mess with the family, do not be cowards.
'Today they issued a decree of sanctions against Cilia, her only crime is being my wife.
Because they could not beat Maduro, they went after Cilia but they will not be able to defeat Cilia either because Cilia is a brave woman.'
The first lady had been hit with sanctions by Canada and Panama earlier in the year.
Flores made headlines in 2015 when her two nephews, Efrain Antonio Campo Flores and Francisco Flores de Freitas,
were arrested by the US Drug Enforcement Agency
and charged with conspiring to import cocaine into America.
According to court documents, the men attempted to bring in $20 million in narcotics sales to 'keep their family in power' -
reigniting rampant rumors about the Flores -Maduro family's link to the drug trade in South America.
The men testified that they were raised by Flores and had been living at Maduro's residence.
END
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