Venezuela Supreme Court on Saturday night ordered Vice-President Delcy Rodríguez to assume the presidency in an acting capacity. This emergency judicial ruling came after the forced removal of President Nicolás Maduro from the country by United States forces earlier in the day.
The high court, in a late-night session, declared that Rodríguez must “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 court stated it would continue to debate the matter to determine the legal framework for ensuring the continuity of the state, government administration, and national sovereignty following what it termed the “forced absence” of the president.
The judicial move sets the stage for a direct confrontation with the United States. From his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, former U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would “run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition.”
Trump offered few specifics on how the U.S. would administer a sovereign nation whose vice-president, legislature, and military remain in place and oppose the intervention.
He indicated the plan would involve deploying major U.S. oil companies to repair Venezuela’s crippled oil infrastructure, despite his embargo on Venezuelan oil remaining in full effect.
A plane carrying the captured Maduro landed at New York’s Stewart Airport just before 5 p.m. local time, according to a source familiar with the matter. He is expected to be transported to New York City.
The Supreme Court’s ruling establishes a parallel center of power in Caracas, with the Venezuelan state apparatus now ostensibly led by Interim President Rodríguez while the United States asserts its own authority from afar.
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