Vice President Delcy Rodríguez has been appointed as acting president by Venezuela’s Supreme Court after the detention of President Nicolás Maduro in an early-morning operation carried out by United States forces.
The country’s apex court delivered the ruling on Saturday, as the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court said Rodríguez would assume presidential roles to ensure continuity of governance and protect national interests during Maduro’s absence. According to the court, the move was necessary to “guarantee administrative continuity and the comprehensive defence of the nation.”
Maduro was reportedly detained in the early hours of Saturday, an action that has triggered heightened political tension in the South American country and drawn international attention.
The court said it would meet to decide the legal implications of the president’s absence and determine the appropriate constitutional framework to sustain the functioning of the state.
The court said the objective is to safeguard the continuity of government, the administration of state affairs, and Venezuela’s sovereignty in the face of what it described as the “forced absence” of the elected president.
Rodríguez, a close ally of Maduro and a former foreign minister, will provide government operations while the legal and political ramifications of the situation are assessed.
