Venezuela’s armed forces said Sunday they now recognize Delcy Rodríguez, the deputy of deposed President Nicolás Maduro, whose capture by the United States has sparked deep uncertainty about what is next for the oil-rich South American nation.
Maduro is in a New York detention center awaiting a Monday court appearance on drug charges, after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered his removal from Venezuela and said the U.S. would take control of the country. But in Caracas, top officials in Maduro's government, who have called the detentions of Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores a kidnapping, were still in charge.
"Here, the unity of the revolutionary force is more than guaranteed, and here there is only one president, whose name is Nicolas Maduro Moros. Let no one fall for the enemy's provocations," Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said in an audio shared by the ruling PSUV socialist party on Sunday as he urged calm.
Images of the 63-year-old Maduro blindfolded and handcuffed on Saturday stunned Venezuelans. The action is Washington's most controversial intervention in Latin America since the invasion of Panama 37 years ago.
Vice President Delcy Rodriguez - who also serves as oil minister - has taken over as interim leader with the blessing of Venezuela's top court, though she has said Maduro remains president. Because of her connections with the private sector and deep knowledge of oil, the country's top source of revenue, Rodriguez has long been considered the most pragmatic member of Maduro's inner circle. But she has publicly contradicted Trump's claim she is willing to work with the United States.
