Venezuela’s Supreme Court on Saturday ordered Vice President Delcy Rodríguez to assume the role of acting president following the detention of Nicolás Maduro in a US military operation carried out in Caracas earlier in the day.
In a ruling issued by its Constitutional Chamber, the court said Rodríguez would take over “the office of President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, in order to guarantee administrative continuity and the comprehensive defense of the Nation.”
The court added that it would further deliberate to “determine the applicable legal framework to guarantee the continuity of the State, the administration of government, and the defense of sovereignty in the face of the forced absence of the President of the Republic.”
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured during a night-time operation involving U.S. military forces, intelligence agencies, and law enforcement authorities, according to U.S. officials. The operation reportedly took place in Caracas before the couple was flown out of Venezuela.
A plane carrying Maduro and Flores landed at Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York on Saturday local time, officials said. US President Donald Trump confirmed the arrests during a press conference in Florida, stating that the Venezuelan leader and his wife had been indicted in the Southern District of New York on charges related to alleged drug trafficking and narco-terrorism conspiracies.
“No nation in the world could achieve what America achieved yesterday or frankly, in just a short period of time,” Trump said, adding that U.S. forces rendered Venezuelan military capacities “powerless” during the operation. “It was dark, and it was deadly, but he was captured along with his wife, Cilia Flores, both of whom now face American justice.”
Trump said Maduro and Flores would “soon face the full might of American justice” and stand trial on U.S. soil. Authorities are yet to decide whether the trial will be held in New York or Florida, he added.
Meanwhile, Venezuela’s top court said the temporary transfer of power was necessary to ensure continuity of governance as it reviews the legal implications of the president’s detention.
