Venezuela Vice President Delcy Rodríguez
Venezuela’s Supreme Court has named Vice President Delcy Rodríguez as the country’s interim president following the reported arrest of President Nicolás Maduro by the United States, a development that has plunged the South American nation into a fresh political crisis.
In its ruling, the court said Rodríguez would “assume and exercise, in an acting capacity, all the attributes, duties and powers inherent to the office of President to guarantee administrative continuity and the comprehensive defence of the nation.”
The justices added that her role would be to ensure the “continuity of the State, the administration of government, and the defence of sovereignty” during Maduro’s absence. The court also disclosed that it would continue deliberations on the legal framework required to govern the country amid what it described as the president’s “forced absence.”
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Washington would temporarily take charge of Venezuela until a leadership transition is put in place. Speaking at his Mar-a-Lago residence, Trump said, “We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition.”
Trump offered limited details on how the United States intends to operate within a sovereign nation, particularly as Venezuela’s vice president, legislature and military leadership are said to oppose the move.
According to the U.S. president, the plan includes deploying major American oil companies to help rehabilitate Venezuela’s severely damaged energy infrastructure, even as the U.S. embargo on Venezuelan oil remains in force. He added that U.S. forces would stay on alert and that the effort would be coordinated by a team of senior officials.
Trump said the initiative would prioritise restoring oil production while ensuring that the Venezuelan people were “also taken care of.”
In a related development, a plane carrying Maduro reportedly landed at New York’s Stewart Airport shortly before 5 p.m. local time. A source familiar with the matter said the former president would be transported onward to New York City.
