Venezuela's Delcy Rodriguez formally sworn in as interim president after US abduction of Maduro

Venezuela’s vice president and oil minister, Delcy Rodriguez, was formally sworn in as interim president, days after US forces captured President Nicolas Maduro. (Photo/AFP)

Venezuela’s vice president and oil minister, Delcy Rodriguez, was formally sworn in as interim president, days after US forces captured President Nicolas Maduro in an overnight operation.

"I swear by Commander Hugo Chavez," Rodriguez said before the National Assembly in Caracas, referring to the late Venezuelan leader.

She described Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, as having been seized by the United States.

"I come with pain for the kidnapping of two heroes that we have as hostages in the United States of North America," she said.

Maduro and Flores were abducted early on Saturday by US forces and flown to New York, where they appeared in an initial court hearing on drug and weapons charges.

Following Maduro’s detention, Venezuela’s Supreme Court directed Rodriguez to "immediately" assume the post of acting president.

US President Donald Trump has said Washington will assert control over Venezuela for the time being, including through the possible deployment of US troops.

A workable interim figure

Rodriguez’s swearing-in came as US media reported that Washington had viewed her as a workable interim figure even before the operation that led to Maduro’s abduction.

According to the New York Times, the Trump administration had decided weeks earlier that Rodriguez would assume interim leadership, citing her role as oil minister and what officials described as openness to cooperation.

The newspaper quoted a senior US official as saying: "I’ve been watching her career for a long time, so I have some sense of who she is and what she’s about."

The report said Rodriguez was not seen as a permanent solution, but as someone with whom a professional working relationship could be established.

On Monday, Rodriguez received backing inside the National Assembly, where Maduro’s son, Nicolas Maduro Guerra, pledged his "unconditional support."

A day earlier, Rodriguez had urged Trump to pursue an "agenda of cooperation."

Trump has said Secretary of State Marco Rubio had been in contact with her, while also warning of consequences if she failed to align with Washington’s plans.

In a separate interview on Monday, Trump denied reports that US officials had contacted Rodriguez or figures close to her before Saturday’s operation.

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Source: TRT