Venezuela’s vice president and economy minister, Delcy Rodriguez, was sworn in as interim president on Monday by the country’s parliament, two days after US forces captured her predecessor, Venezuelan leader, Nicolas Maduro.
A strong supporter of Maduro, Rodriguez took the oath of office in a ceremony administered by her brother, Jorge Rodriguez, who heads the National Assembly.
The new president said she has taken on the new charge “in the name of all Venezuelans”, and indicated that she will cooperate with Washington. Expressing solidarity for Maduro, who faces trial in New York for drug charges, Rodriguez 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.
The country’s military has declared its support for Rodriguez, as has Nicolas Maduro Guerra, Maduro’s lawmaker son, who said his country was “in good hands” until his parents’ return.
“Count on me, count on my family,” said Guerra, also known as Nicolasito.
Members of the National Assembly have also offered their full backing to Rodriguez, whose brother Jorge Rodriguez has been re-elected as parliament speaker. Senior lawmaker, Fernando Soto Rojas, denounced Maduro’s capture by US President Donald Trump’s armed forced on January 3, saying in an address that “the President of the United States, Mr. Trump, claims to be the prosecutor, the judge, and the policeman of the world”
Meanwhile, Venezuelans supporting Maduro’s capture don’t believe there would be any real change in their country as long as the military remains committed to the deposed President’s regime.
While the US has claimed to have toppled the regime, removing one man does not guarantee any positive changes in the country, they said.
Security officers such as former captain, Antonio Cancino, who defected in 2019, believe that “the top brass are totally loyal to the regime”.
Other defectors and exiled service members also said that the army supports the Maduro regime and that removing him will not affect the current Venezuelan government in power.
They claim that power in the country still remains in the hands of two of Maduro’s most-staunch supporters – Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino López and Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello – both wanted by US authorities.
One high-ranking military defector went on to say that the armed forces’ leadership is “nothing more than an appendage of a dictatorial regime”.
On Monday, United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, known for his hawkish stance on Cuba and Venezuela, said that elections were not a priority in Venezuela.
Meanwhile, Trump has outright dismissed the idea that opposition leader Maria Corina Machado could lead the country, saying she does not enjoy her people’s support.
