The Moderate: Delcy Rodríguez, Vice President
The Hard-Liner: Diosdado Cabello, Interior Minister
The Nobel Laureate: María Corina Machado, Opposition Leader
The Elected: Edmundo González, Retired Diplomat
The Operator: Jorge Rodríguez, Congressional Speaker
The General: Vladimir Padrino López, Defense Minister

The Moderate: Delcy Rodríguez, Vice President

Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s vice president, oversees economic policies.
Mr. Maduro’s economic leader, Delcy Rodríguez, would be the first in line to replace Mr. Maduro if he were to step down or become incapacitated, according to the Venezuelan Constitution. As an interim president, Ms. Rodríguez would be required to hold new elections, though the timing would depend on when Mr. Maduro stepped down.

The Hard-Liner: Diosdado Cabello, Interior Minister

Mr. Maduro’s main internal rival, Diosdado Cabello, is the face of the country’s repression apparatus, according to rights groups, as well as the voice of a hard-line faction focused on preserving the current government at any cost. A retired lieutenant close to Mr. Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez, Mr. Cabello has so far been one of the biggest Venezuelan political winners of Mr. Trump’s pressure campaign.

The Nobel Laureate: María Corina Machado, Opposition Leader

A longtime conservative politician, María Corina Machado led a grass-roots election campaign that managed to win, and then prove, a landslide victory in last year’s presidential vote, which is widely recognized as legitimate around the world. That effort earned her this year’s Nobel Peace Prize.

The Elected: Edmundo González, Retired Diplomat
Edmundo González was a little-known retired civil servant until last year, when he became the opposition’s unlikely presidential candidate. He replaced Ms. Machado, who had overwhelmingly won the primary but was barred from participating in the election by the Maduro government. Unable to take office after the vote, he fled Venezuela for Spain, ceding the opposition spotlight to Ms. Machado. In occasional statements from exile, he has struck a more conciliatory tone than his political mentor.

The Operator: Jorge Rodríguez, Congressional Speaker

Jorge Rodríguez is the older brother of Delcy Rodríguez and is Mr. Maduro’s chief political strategist. He has represented Mr. Maduro in talks with the United States for years, including in negotiations with the Trump administration this year. His claim to power would stem from his official job as the speaker of Venezuela’s Congress. The governing party won a majority in a parliamentary vote in May after running largely unopposed.

The General: Vladimir Padrino López, Defense Minister

Venezuela’s highest-ranking officer, Gen. Vladimir Padrino López, has been entrusted by Mr. Maduro for years with preserving the loyalty of the disparate factions of the country’s armed forces. He occasionally made pro-democracy references in previous years, and media reports implicated him in a failed coup attempt against Mr. Maduro in 2019. This has led political commentators and journalists to speculate for years about his ultimate loyalties.