After the US military captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, Venezuela’s Executive Vice President Delcy Rodríguez has taken over as acting president. The Supreme Court told her to take full presidential powers under Articles 233 and 234 of the constitution to make sure that things kept going during the crisis. Rodríguez, a long-time member of the chavismo party, quickly called a meeting of the National Defense Council and called the action a violation of sovereignty.
Rodríguez officially took over as leader on Saturday afternoon, just a few hours after Maduro was arrested. She is in charge of important ministries like finance and oil, making her the economic powerhouse of Venezuela. The Supreme Court’s decision told military leaders and the National Assembly about it, stressing the importance of protecting the country from foreign attacks.
Rodríguez called for Maduro’s immediate release and urged Venezuelans to come together in a speech on TV. She told Latin American countries that the “brutal force” could attack any country and that this would be a violation of international law. Even though US President Donald Trump talked about the possibility of working together, she didn’t seem to be giving in.
The 56-year-old lawyer from Caracas has been a key figure in chavismo for more than 20 years. She was the foreign minister, the head of the Constituent National Assembly, and she defended Maduro against criticism from around the world about human rights and democracy. Manuel Romano and other experts say she is a results-oriented leader who has power over the military and the government.
