Venezuela’s military endorses Delcy Rodriguez as acting president following Nicolas Maduro’s capture

CARACAS, VENEZUELA: Venezuela’s military has formally recognized Vice President Delcy Rodriguez as the country’s acting leader after President Nicolas Maduro was removed from Caracas by US forces.

A ruling by Venezuela’s Supreme Court appointed Delcy Rodriguez as interim president, and the defense minister publicly backed that decision. In a televised speech, Rodriguez condemned the US military action and addressed Venezuela’s political future in the wake of Maduro’s capture.

Delcy Rodriguez named acting president

The announcement came after Venezuela’s Supreme Court ruled Delcy Rodriguez should assume the presidential role for 90 days, placing her next in the line of succession after Maduro. Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez issued a statement endorsing the court’s decision and formally recognizing her leadership.

She has served as Maduro’s vice president since 2018, and during that time she has overseen significant elements of Venezuela’s oil-dependent economy along with its intelligence service.

President Trump said that Washington had been in contact with Rodriguez and commented that “she’s essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again.”

Rodriguez, who was under US sanctions for actions tied to undermining Venezuelan democracy, spoke out strongly about the US operation. She called the military action that removed Maduro 'barbaric' and described it as an 'illegal and illegitimate kidnapping.'

Rodriguez asserted that it was an attack on Venezuela’s sovereignty and demanded the 'immediate release' of Maduro and his wife. Despite condemning the US action, Rodriguez said in her address that her government was open to respectful relations with the United States, indicating a willingness to maintain some level of dialogue.

She said, "Here, we have a government with clarity, and I repeat and repeat again … we are willing to have respectful relations, It is the only thing we will accept for a type of relationship after having attacked (Venezuela)."

US warns Delcy Rodriguez as Nicolas Maduro faces charges

Trump appeared to issue a warning toward Rodriguez, stating in an interview with The Atlantic published Sunday that "if she doesn't do what's right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday on 'Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan' that discussions with Rodriguez and the Venezuelan government “are delicate and complicated things that require mature statesmanship, and that's what we intend to do.”

He continued, “But our goals remain the same. The difference is that the person who was in charge, even though not legitimately in the past was someone you could not work with. We just could not work with him.”

Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, arrived in New York on Sunday, where they will face federal charges connected to drug trafficking and alleged collaboration with gangs designated as terrorist organizations, allegations that Maduro denies.

In a televised address, Padrino Lopez said that several of Maduro’s bodyguards were killed 'in cold blood' during the raid, though he did not specify how many casualties there were.

Venezuelan officials have not yet released an official count of those injured or killed during the US operations. Trump said on Saturday that some troops were wounded, but that none lost their lives. Lopez also called on Venezuelans to return to normal life 'of all kinds, economic, work and education, in the coming days.'