Venezuelan lawmakers on Monday swore in Delcy Rodríguez as interim president, following the weekend arrest of President Nicolás Maduro, as the government staged a political show of independence from the United States.
The National Assembly members gathered in Caracas to carry out a scheduled swearing-in ceremony for a term lasting until 2031. Delcy Rodríguez, who served as vice president to Maduro and has vowed to work with the Trump administration, was sworn in as interim president by her brother, Jorge Rodríguez, who was reelected as speaker.
In her remarks after the oath, Rodríguez said: “I come with sorrow for the suffering inflicted upon the Venezuelan people following an illegitimate military aggression against our homeland,” with her right hand up.
Legislators aligned with the ruling party also delivered speeches focused on condemning Maduro’s capture Saturday by U.S. forces. Maduro’s son, Nicolás Maduro Guerra, appeared publicly for the first time since Saturday and used his address at the legislative palace to denounce what he called the kidnapping of a head of state.
“If we normalize the kidnapping of a head of state, no country is safe. Today, it’s Venezuela. Tomorrow, it could be any nation that refuses to submit,” Nicolás Maduro Guerra said. He also warned: “This is not a regional problem. It is a direct threat to global political stability.”
Nicolás Maduro Guerra demanded that his father and stepmother, Cilia Flores, be returned to Venezuela, and he also denounced being named as a co-conspirator in the federal indictment charging Maduro and Flores.
While the lawmakers met, Maduro made his first court appearance in the United States. He entered the proceedings in a U.S. courtroom on the narco-terrorism charges the Trump administration used to justify capturing him and taking him to New York. Maduro declared himself “innocent” and a “decent man” as he pleaded not guilty to federal drug-trafficking charges.
The U.S. operation that removed Maduro from Venezuela included the seizure of Flores as well, carried out during a military operation in which both were captured in their home on a military base. President Donald Trump said the U.S. would “run” Venezuela temporarily, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday the U.S. would not govern the country day-to-day except for enforcing an existing “oil quarantine.”
Rubio said the U.S. was applying pressure on Venezuela’s oil industry to push for policy changes. Speaking on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” he said: “We expect to see that there will be changes, not just in the way the oil industry is run for the benefit of the people, but also so that they stop the drug trafficking,”
On Sunday, Rodríguez said Venezuela was seeking “respectful relations” with the United States. In a statement, she said: “We invite the US government to collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation oriented towards shared development within the framework of international law to strengthen lasting community coexistence,” after Trump threatened that she could “pay a very big price” if she did not fall in line with U.S. demands.
Rodríguez’s interim role was appointed by Venezuela’s Supreme Court on Saturday. Under the constitution, an election is required within 30 days when the president becomes “permanently unavailable” to serve, but the court declared Maduro’s absence “temporary,” putting the vice president in charge for up to 90 days—a period that can be extended to six months with a vote of the National Assembly.
The Supreme Court did not specify a time limit, and the lack of detail led some to speculate Rodríguez could try to remain in power longer. The article also said Rodríguez has the backing of Venezuela’s military, which has long played a decisive role in the country’s power struggles.
Before taking the oath, lawmaker Grecia Colmenares said she would “take every giant step to bring back (to Venezuela) the bravest of the brave, Nicolás Maduro Moreno, and our first lady, Cilia Flores.” She later added: “I swear by the shared destiny we deserve.”
Separately, a State Department official said Monday that the Trump administration was making preliminary plans to reopen the U.S. embassy in Venezuela if Trump decides to return American diplomats. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said early preparations “to allow for a reopening” of the embassy in Caracas had begun in that scenario.
Associated Press Writers Megan Janetsky in Mexico City, and Matthew Lee in Washington, contributed to this report.