Venezuelan government swears in interim president after Maduro arrest

Delcy Rodriguez served as vice president to Maduro. Picture: AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos.

The Venezuelan government has sought to show its people and the world that the country is being run independently and not controlled by the US following its weekend arrest of Nicolas Maduro, the authoritarian leader who had ruled for almost 13 years.

Lawmakers aligned with the ruling party, including Maduro’s son, gathered in the capital Caracas to follow through with a scheduled swearing-in ceremony of the National Assembly for a term that will last until 2031.

Delcy Rodriguez, who served as vice president to Maduro and has vowed to work with the Trump administration, was sworn in as interim president. She was sworn in by her brother, Jorge Rodriguez, who was re-elected as speaker.

“I come with sorrow for the suffering inflicted upon the Venezuelan people following an illegitimate military aggression against our homeland,” she said with her right hand up.

Venezuelan lawmakers gave speeches focused on condemning Maduro’s capture on Saturday by US forces.

His son Nicolas Maduro Guerra said: “If we normalise the kidnapping of a head of state, no country is safe. Today, it’s Venezuela. Tomorrow, it could be any nation that refuses to submit.

“This is not a regional problem. It is a direct threat to global political stability.” Mr Maduro Guerra, also known as “Nicolasito”, demanded that his father and stepmother, Cilia Flores, be returned to the South American country and called on international support.

The deposed leader’s only son, Mr Maduro Guerra also denounced being named as a co-conspirator in the federal indictment charging his father and Flores.

While Venezuelan lawmakers met, Maduro made his first court appearance in a US courtroom on the narco-terrorism charges the Trump administration used to justify capturing him and taking him to New York.

Maduro declared himself “innocent” and a “decent man” as he pleaded not guilty to federal drug-trafficking charges.

The US seized Maduro and Flores in a military operation on Saturday, capturing them in their home on a military base.

President Donald Trump said the US would “run” Venezuela temporarily but Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that it would not govern the country day to day other than enforcing an existing ” oil quarantine”.

Mr Rubio said the US was using pressure on Venezuela’s oil industry as a way to push for policy changes.

He said: “We expect to see that there will be changes, not just in the way the oil industry is run for the benefit of the people, but also so that they stop the drug trafficking.” On Sunday, Ms Rodriguez said Venezuela is seeking “respectful relations” with the US, a shift from a more defiant tone she struck in the immediate aftermath of Maduro’s capture.

She said in a statement: “We invite the US government to collaborate with us on an agenda of co-operation oriented towards shared development within the framework of international law to strengthen lasting community coexistence.” Her conciliatory message came after Mr Trump threatened that she could “pay a very big price” if she did not fall in line with US demands.