Fabiana Rosales
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Fabiana_Rosales_in_2019.jpg/170px-Fabiana_Rosales_in_2019.jpg)
Fabiana Andreina Rosales Guerrero[1] (born 22 April 1992), also known as Fabiana Rosales de Guaidó,[2] is a Venezuelan journalist and social media human rights activist.[3] She is married to Juan Guaidó, president of the National Assembly and a claimant to the country's acting presidency in the 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis.[4] She is considered by the White House and the National Assembly of Venezuela as the first lady of Venezuela.[5][6]
Early life and education
Rosales was born in the town of Tovar, Mérida State, on 22 April 1992.[7] Her father, Carlos,[4] was a farmer, and her mother a journalist. As a child, she observed her mother's interviews and became interested in social issues. She assisted in running the family farm and decided to study journalism.[5] Her father died after having a heart attack in 2013, for which she blames the shortages in Venezuela; she says "there was no medicine in his village to stabilize him, and no ambulance to take him to the nearest hospital".[5] Her cousin died similarly, because products for a blood transfusion could not be found.[4]
In 2013, she graduated from Universidad Rafael Belloso Chacín with a degree in journalism and social communications.[8] She worked in Mérida state for a city council as a press officer, and later held a similar position after moving to Caracas.[9]
She met Juan Guaidó at a youth rally,[5] and they married in 2013.[9] They have a daughter who was born in 2017.[7]
Political activism
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6c/Juan_Guaid%C3%B3_dandole_un_beso_a_su_esposa_-_Marcha_del_02_de_Febrero_del_2019.jpg/220px-Juan_Guaid%C3%B3_dandole_un_beso_a_su_esposa_-_Marcha_del_02_de_Febrero_del_2019.jpg)
During her university studies, Rosales began working for the opposition party Popular Will (Spanish: Voluntad Popular).[5] As a human rights activist, she had close to 150,000 followers on Instagram as of 26 January 2019.[3] She has stated that a motivating factor for her is that she does not "want [her] daughter to grow up wanting to leave Venezuela",[10] and that she is "working for [her] daughter to inherit a better country".[5]
During the 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis, Guaidó was designated acting president by the Venezuelan National Assembly, contesting the legitimacy of Nicolás Maduro.[5] More than 50 governments have recognized Guaidó as the acting president of Venezuela,[11][12] which implicitly gives Rosales a claim to being the First Lady of Venezuela.[2][5][13] She told Reuters that spies and "pro-government armed groups" follow her and Guaidó.[9]
Foreign relations
The New York Times says Rosales is "emerging as a prominent figure in [Guaidó's] campaign to bring change to the crisis-wracked country".[5] She has assumed the role of international ambassador for the opposition, meeting with Bolivarian diaspora and regional leaders to solicit support for the opposition and her country.[5] Rosales started in Latin America, meeting with Martín Vizcarra and Sebastián Piñera, presidents of Peru and Chile respectively, in March 2019.[14]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/President_Donald_J._Trump_Meets_with_Fabiana_Rosales_de_Guaido_4.jpg/220px-President_Donald_J._Trump_Meets_with_Fabiana_Rosales_de_Guaido_4.jpg)
On 27 March, she visited the White House to meet with US President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.[14] She said that the crisis in Venezuela is serious, describing it as "freedom or dictatorship, life or death".[10] Trump said it was a "great honor to have the first lady of Venezuela".[5] From Washington, D.C., she went next to a meeting with Miami mayor Carlos A. Giménez, where she was given the key to Miami-Dade County.[15]
The Associated Press wrote that her "opponents have cast her recent tour as a desperate attempt to keep Guaido in the international spotlight", and quoted a diplomat from the Maduro administration, who said, "She is trying to boost Guaido's image, as support for his movement in Venezuela deflates".[5]
References
- ^ "¿Quién es Fabiana Rosales, la esposa del autoproclamado presidente de Venezuela Juan Guaidó?". El Heraldo (in Spanish). 26 January 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
- ^ a b "A conversation with Venezuelan interim First Lady Fabiana Rosales de Guaidó". CSIS. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2019. Husband's name also at C-Span, Pavlovic Today and The Star.
- ^ a b "¿Quién es Fabiana Rosales? La esposa de Guaidó, periodista e influencer". El Nacional (in Spanish). 26 January 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
- ^ a b c Delgado, Antonio Maria (30 March 2019). "'We have to stop this crisis,' says Venezuela's interim first lady, wife of Juan Guaidó". Miami Herald. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Rueda, Manual and Franklin Briceno (27 March 2019). "Venezuelan opposition leader's wife emerges as potent force". The New York Times. Associated Press. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
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(help) Also available online at AP News - ^ Alvarado, Eleyn (29 March 2019). "Fabiana Rosales agradeció a Melania Trump compromiso con Venezuela". República Bolivariana de Venezuela Asamblea Nacional (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 March 2019.
- ^ a b "Fabiana Rosales ejemplo de la mujer venezolana". Asiesmargarita.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 March 2019.
- ^ "Quién es Fabiana Rosales, la joven periodista que enamoró a Juan Guaidó". El Comercio (in Spanish). 1 February 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
- ^ a b c Cohen, Luc and Roberta Rampton (28 March 2019). "Venezuela's Fabiana Rosales, a young activist, emerges into the political spotlight". Reuters. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
- ^ a b Lemon, Jason (27 March 2019). "Who is Fabiana Rosales? Venezuela's opposition leader's wife meets Donald Trump, says situation is 'life or death'". Retrieved 30 March 2019.
- ^ "Venezuela opposition plans aid hub in Brazil, mobilizes volunteers". France 24. 11 February 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
- ^ Meredith, Sam (12 February 2019). "How a nationwide protest against Maduro could shape Venezuela's future". CNBC. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
- ^ Alvarado, Eleyn (29 March 2019). "Fabiana Rosales agradeció a Melania Trump compromiso con Venezuela". República Bolivariana de Venezuela Asamblea Nacional (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 March 2019.
- ^ a b Alba, Monica (27 March 2019). "Trump: 'Russia needs to get out' of Venezuela, tells opposition he's with them '100 percent'". NBC News. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
- ^ "Venezuela opposition leader's wife, Fabiana Rosales, meets with Miami leaders". NBC Miami. 29 March 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
External links
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