Venezuela’s parliament on Monday swore in Delcy Rodríguez as interim president, two days after US forces seized her predecessor, Nicolás Maduro, and transferred him to New York to face trial.
Rodríguez, who has signalled a willingness to cooperate with Washington, took the oath during a ceremony at the National Assembly, saying she was assuming office “in the name of all Venezuelans.”
She said she was “in pain over the kidnapping of our heroes, the hostages in the United States,” referring to Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who are facing drug trafficking charges in New York alongside other senior Venezuelan officials.
Lawmakers denounced the capture of the leftist leader and pledged full support to Rodríguez following the US military operation, which sent shockwaves through Caracas and beyond.
Outside parliament, thousands of supporters rallied to demand Maduro’s release, chanting: “Maduro, hold on — Venezuela is rising!”
“Regardless of whether Nicolás Maduro has something to answer for in court, this was not the way to do it,” protester Flur Alberto, 32, told AFP.
Inside the chamber, the National Assembly reaffirmed its backing for Rodríguez, who previously served as Maduro’s vice president, and re-elected her brother Jorge Rodríguez as parliamentary speaker.
As the session opened, lawmakers chanted “Let’s go, Nico!” — a slogan from Maduro’s 2024 re-election campaign, polls that were rejected as fraudulent by the opposition and dozens of foreign governments, including Washington.
On the orders of President Donald Trump, US forces launched strikes on the Venezuelan capital early Saturday before capturing Maduro and his wife and flying them to New York for trial.
“The president of the United States, Mr Trump, claims to be the prosecutor, the judge and the policeman of the world,” senior lawmaker Fernando Soto Rojas told parliament.
“We say: you will not succeed. And we will deploy all our solidarity so that our legitimate president, Nicolás Maduro, returns victorious to Miraflores,” he added, referring to the presidential palace.
‘In good hands’
Venezuela’s Supreme Court on Saturday ordered Rodríguez to assume the presidency in an acting capacity, a move backed by the military a day later.
With Jorge Rodríguez retaining the speakership, the powerful siblings now control both the executive and legislative branches of government.
Addressing lawmakers, Jorge Rodríguez vowed to pursue “every procedure, every platform and every avenue” to secure Maduro’s return.
Maduro’s son and fellow lawmaker, Nicolás Maduro Guerra, also voiced his support for the interim leader.
“Count on me, count on my family,” said Maduro Guerra — known as “Nicolasito” — telling Rodríguez the country was “in good hands” until his parents’ “return.”
Venezuela’s unicameral parliament was elected last May in polls boycotted by much of the opposition, leaving 256 of its 286 seats under the control of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) and its allies.
Maduro Guerra said Venezuela “asks for neither privileges nor concessions; it demands respect,” calling for international relations based on “equality, mutual respect and cooperation, without threats or interference.”
Stepping outside to address protesters, he said he remained in “indirect” contact with his father. “We have a strong team over there supporting us,” he said.
Rodríguez, who on Saturday insisted Maduro remains Venezuela’s “only” president, later offered cooperation to Washington, which has said it would work with Venezuela’s leaders if its demands are met.
Trump, meanwhile, warned Rodríguez she could face consequences worse than Maduro’s if she failed to comply with US demands on political reforms and oil access.
AFP
