• Venezuela’s Supreme Court invokes constitutional provisions to install Delcy Rodríguez as acting president
• Ruling cites Maduro’s “material and temporary impossibility” to exercise presidential functions
• Trump claims Rodríguez willing to cooperate, but VP publicly demands Maduro’s immediate release

CARACAS, VZ (TDR) — Venezuela’s Supreme Court ordered Vice President Delcy Rodríguez to immediately assume all presidential powers Saturday following the capture of President Nicolás Maduro by United States forces, thrusting the nation into constitutional crisis.

The Constitutional Chamber delivered its ruling during a late-night televised session, with Justice Tania D’Amelio announcing that Rodríguez must assume all presidential powers to ensure “administrative continuity and the comprehensive defense of the nation.”

The court invoked Articles 234 and 239 of Venezuela’s constitution, describing Maduro’s detention as creating a “material and temporary impossibility” for him to exercise presidential functions.

Extraordinary Constitutional Intervention

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The ruling characterized the circumstances as “force majeure” requiring immediate action. The court emphasized its decision represents an “urgent precautionary measure” rather than a final determination of whether Maduro’s absence is temporary or permanent.

“It is ordered that the citizen Delcy Eloína Rodríguez Gómez, vice president of the Republic, assume and exercise in her capacity all the powers, duties and inherent faculties as president.”

The court will continue deliberating to determine the “applicable legal framework” for guaranteeing state continuity amid what it termed “foreign aggression”.

Conflicting Signals on Cooperation

President Donald Trump claimed Saturday that Rodríguez had been sworn in and expressed willingness to work with Washington. Trump said Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with the vice president, describing her as “quite gracious.”

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“She’s essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again,” Trump told reporters at Mar-a-Lago, suggesting Rodríguez said “we’ll do whatever you need” during her conversation with Rubio.

However, Rodríguez’s public statements contradicted Trump’s characterization. In a National Defense Council session broadcast on state television, she demanded Maduro’s immediate release and condemned the US military operation as a blatant violation of international law.

“There is only one president in this country, and his name is Nicolás Maduro,” Rodríguez declared, surrounded by top civilian officials and military commanders. State television notably continued identifying her as vice president rather than acting president during the broadcast.

Background and Political Stakes

Rodríguez, 56, has served as Maduro’s vice president since 2018, also holding positions as finance minister and oil minister. She oversees much of Venezuela’s oil-dependent economy and its intelligence apparatus.

A Caracas native educated in law at Central University of Venezuela, Rodríguez is the daughter of Jorge Antonio Rodríguez, a left-wing guerrilla fighter who founded the revolutionary Liga Socialista party in the 1970s.

Unlike many Maduro regime officials, Rodríguez has avoided criminal indictment in the United States, though she faced sanctions during Trump’s first administration for allegedly undermining Venezuelan democracy. Analysts note she has developed ties with Republicans in the oil industry and on Wall Street.

Will Rodríguez ultimately cooperate with Washington’s transition plans, or does her defiant rhetoric signal continued resistance to American intervention?

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