Venezuela’s top court orders vice president to assume Maduro's duties

The Constitutional Chamber of Venezuela’s Supreme Court has ruled that Executive Vice President Delcy Rodríguez must immediately assume the duties of head of state.

The decision was made in accordance with the Constitution and the country’s laws, Judge Tania D’Amelio explained on the air of state television channel Venezolana de Televisión, 

The judicial interpretation aims to ensure administrative continuity and safeguard the state in conditions where the president is temporarily unable to perform their duties.

Rodríguez, a longtime Maduro loyalist and key figure in his administration, will exercise all presidential powers in an acting capacity. The court framed Maduro's capture as a "kidnapping" by foreign forces, emphasising the need for constitutional certainty amid threats to state stability.

This follows the dramatic U.S.-led Operation Absolute Resolve on January 3, involving airstrikes on military sites in Caracas and a raid that extracted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores without U.S. casualties. President Trump announced the couple's transfer to New York for trial on expanded narco-terrorism and drug-trafficking charges, while stating the U.S. would temporarily administer Venezuela, focusing on revitalising its oil sector through American companies.

By Khagan Isayev