Venezuela’s Top Court Appoints Delcy Rodríguez as Interim President After Maduro’s Detention

Venezuela’s Supreme Court of Justice has ordered Vice President Delcy Rodríguez to take over as acting president with immediate effect following the detention of President Nicolás Maduro, according to China’s Xinhua News Agency.

The ruling, delivered late Saturday, was broadcast nationwide on radio and television and read out by Supreme Court Justice Tania D’Amelio. 

The court’s decision authorizes Rodríguez, in her capacity as executive vice president, to fully assume all constitutional powers and responsibilities of the presidency without delay.

In its statement, the court strongly condemned what it described as a grave act of U.S. military aggression against Venezuela, accusing Washington of violating Venezuelan sovereignty and international law. 

The judiciary denounced the capture of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, calling it an unlawful act aimed at undermining the country’s independence and seizing its strategic resources.

The Supreme Court reaffirmed its support for the Venezuelan people and pledged to defend national sovereignty, while urging all parties to work collectively to preserve peace and stability across Latin America and the Caribbean.

Maduro and Flores were reportedly detained during a large-scale U.S. military operation early Saturday and transported to New York, Xinhua reported.