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Venezuela: Rodríguez sworn in as acting president

ARCHIVE - Delcy Rodríguez has been sworn in as acting president of Venezuela. Photo: Ariana Cubillos/AP/dpa/archived image

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Following the capture of Venezuelan head of state Nicolás Maduro by US special forces, his successor Delcy Rodríguez has been sworn in as acting president. She took the oath of office in the National Assembly in the capital Caracas. "I will not rest until peace and tranquillity are guaranteed for the republic," said the 56-year-old as she was sworn in by her brother, parliamentary speaker Jorge Rodríguez.

Keystone-SDA

05.01.2026, 20:45

Venezuela's Supreme Court had already appointed the previous Vice President Rodríguez to temporarily assume the duties of head of state at the weekend. The US military captured the authoritarian President Maduro in Caracas on Sunday night and brought him to the United States. On Monday, he was brought to a first court hearing in New York, where he is to be tried for "drug terrorism".

Government continues to see Maduro as legitimate president

The Venezuelan government continues to regard Maduro as the legitimate head of state and criticized his arrest by the USA as a kidnapping in violation of international law. According to the Venezuelan constitution, in the event of the president's permanent absence, the vice president takes over and calls new elections within 30 days. However, it is unclear whether the new leadership considers the current situation to be such a permanent absence.

Rodríguez is considered one of the most loyal figures in Maduro's circle of power. As foreign minister (2014-2017), she shaped the confrontational course against the USA, which she continued as vice president. Even after the US military strike at the weekend, she initially remained unbending. The powerful military publicly backed her.

Rodríguez holds out the prospect of cooperation with the USA

She later expressed her willingness to cooperate with the USA. "We invite the government of the United States to work together on an agenda of cooperation aimed at joint development and strengthening lasting coexistence in the community within the framework of international law," it said in a message published on Instagram.

"Our peoples and our region deserve peace and dialog, not war," she wrote, addressing US President Donald Trump. "This has always been the attitude of President Nicolás Maduro and is currently the attitude of the whole of Venezuela." She called for a respectful relationship between the US and Venezuela based on sovereign equality and non-interference.