Venezuela officially has an interim president. Delcy Rodriguez declares herself “deeply saddened by the kidnapping of two heroes who are being held hostage in the US”
Delcy Rodriguez, the successor of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was captured by US special forces, was sworn in as interim president in Caracas, Venezuela on January 5, 2026. PHOTO: Stringer / DPA / Profimedia
Venezuela's Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, who is also the oil minister, was officially sworn in as the country's interim president on Monday, even as President Nicolas Maduro appeared before a New York court on drug-trafficking charges after the Trump administration removed him from power in a dramatic military crackdown over the weekend, Reuters writes.
Delcy Rodriguez, a 56-year-old labor lawyer known for her close ties to the private sector and devotion to the ruling party, was sworn in by her brother, Jorge, who is president of the National Assembly.
The Constitutional Court decided over the weekend that she should take over the temporary leadership of the state for 90 days.
On Monday, 283 parliamentarians elected in May of last year also took the oath, and Delcy Rodriguez's brother, Jorge Rodriguez, was re-elected president of the Assembly, notes News.ro.
Only a small number of MPs can be considered opposition. The majority of the opposition, especially the faction led by Nobel Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado, boycotted the elections.
The only parliamentarian who was not present was first lady Cilia Flores, who was also captured by the US and brought before American justice alongside Nicolas Maduro.
“I come here with sadness. (…) I am deeply saddened by the kidnapping of two heroes who are being held hostage in the United States: President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores,” Rodriguez said during the investiture ceremony.
“I swear not to rest for a minute to guarantee peace and the spiritual, economic and social tranquility of our people. Let's swear as a united country to move Venezuela forward in these terrible times,” Delcy Rodriguez said before the parliamentarians.
The Guardian writes that Nicolas Maduro Guerra, Maduro's son, also gave a speech in front of Venezuela's National Assembly and expressed his support for Venezuela's interim leader, Delcy Rodriguez.
“To you, Delcy Eloína: my unconditional support for the difficult task ahead,” he said. “You can count on me, you can count on my family, you can count on our determination to take the right steps to face this responsibility that you now have and we are firmly united to achieve the goal of peace in Venezuela, to move the country forward and for the return of Nicolás and Cilia,” said Maduro's son. Then, hypothetically speaking to his father, he said: “You have made all of us in the family strong people, we are here and doing our duty until you return.”
VIDEO Maduro's son, nicknamed “The Prince”, promises “unconditional support” for Venezuela's interim president. Parliament chanted “Come on, Nico!”
“The country is in good hands, father, and soon we will be hugging here in Venezuela,” he concluded.
Thousands of Maduro's supporters protested on Monday in Caracas demanding his release.
Organized at the call of the authorities, the demonstration took place in parallel with the investiture of the interim president Delcy Rodriguez and while Maduro, taken by force on Saturday by the Americans, declared himself innocent in front of American justice.
