Delcy Rodriguez sworn in as Venezuela’s president after Maduro abduction

Trump has signalled that Rodriguez could face dire consequences should she buck US priorities for Venezuela.Delcy Rodriguez was formerly the president of the Constitutional Assembly, and she held leadership positions under Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro [File: Ricardo Mazalan/AP Photo]Published On 5 Jan 2026Delcy Rodriguez, formerly Venezuela’s vice president, has been formally sworn in to lead the South American country following the abduction of Nicolas Maduro in a United States military operation.On Monday, Rodriguez appeared before Venezuela’s National Assembly to take her oath of office.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Trump poses with ‘Make Iran Great Again’ hat after Maduro abductionlist 2 of 3‘I am still president of my country,’ Nicolas Maduro tells US courtlist 3 of 3After the shock of Maduro’s capture, what’s next for Venezuela?end of listSpeaking before the legislative body, composed largely of government loyalists, Rodriguez reaffirmed her opposition to the military attack that led to the capture and removal of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.“I come with pain over the kidnapping of two heroes who are being held hostage: President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores,” Rodriguez, 56, told the assembly.“I swear to work tirelessly to guarantee the peace, spiritual, economic and social tranquillity of our people.”A former labour lawyer, Rodriguez has been serving as acting president since the early-morning attack that resulted in the abduction. Explosions were reported before dawn on Saturday in the capital, Caracas, as well as at nearby Venezuelan military bases and some civilian areas.Monday’s swearing-in ceremony was overseen by Rodriguez’s brother – the president of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodriguez – and Maduro’s son, Nicolás Maduro Guerra, who held a copy of the Venezuelan Constitution.Other members of Maduro’s inner circle, including Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino, were also in attendance.The ceremony took place as Maduro, her predecessor and former boss, faced an arraignment proceeding in a New York City courthouse.Federal prosecutors in the US have charged Maduro with four counts related to allegations he leveraged government powers to export thousands of tonnes of cocaine to North America.The charges include narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, the illegal possession of machine guns and other destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess such guns and devices.Maduro and his wife have pleaded not guilty to the charges, and their allies, including Rodriguez, have denounced the pair’s abduction as a violation of international law, as well as Venezuelan sovereignty.In court on Monday, Maduro maintained he remained the rightful leader of Venezuela, saying, “I am still president.”The administration of US President Donald Trump, however, has signalled that it plans to work with Rodriguez for the time being, though Trump himself warned that her tenure as president could be cut short, should she fail to abide by US demands.“If she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro,” Trump told The Atlantic magazine in a Sunday morning interview.A day earlier, in a televised address announcing the attack, Trump had said his administration plans “to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition”.On Air Force One on Sunday, as he flew back to Washington, DC, Trump doubled down on that statement.“Don’t ask me who’s in charge, because I’ll give you an answer that will be very controversial. We’re in charge,” he told reporters.He added that Rodriguez is “cooperating” and that, while he personally has not spoken to her, “we’re dealing with the people who just got sworn in”.The Trump administration’s seeming willingness to allow Rodriguez, a former labour lawyer, to remain in charge has raised eyebrows.Rodriguez, who served as vice president since 2018, is known to be a stalwart “chavista”: an adherent of the left-wing political movement founded by Maduro’s mentor, the late Hugo Chavez. She has held various ministerial roles under Maduro, including leading the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.But Trump’s allies in the Republican Party have argued that keeping Rodriguez in place is simply a practical reality.“We don’t recognise Delcy Rodriguez as the legitimate ruler of Venezuela. We didn’t recognise Nicolas Maduro as a legitimate ruler,” Republican Senator Tom Cotton told CNN on Sunday.“It is a fact that she and other indicted and sanctioned officials are in Venezuela. They have control over the military and security services. We have to deal with that fact. That does not make them a legitimate leader.”While on Air Force One, Trump largely avoided committing to new elections in Venezuela, indicating he would instead focus on “fixing” the country and allowing US oil companies access to its vast petroleum reserves.One reporter on the aeroplane asked, “How soon can an election take place?”“Well, I think we’re looking more at getting it fixed, getting it ready first, because it’s a mess. The country is a mess,” Trump replied. “It’s been horribly run. The oil is just flowing at a very low level.”He later added, “We’re going to run everything. We’re going to run it, fix it. We’ll have elections at the right time. But the main thing you have to fix: It’s a broken country. There’s no money.”Recent presidential elections in Venezuela have been widely denounced as fraudulent, with Maduro claiming victory in each one.The contested 2018 election, for example, led to the US briefly recognising opposition leader Juan Guaido as president, instead of Maduro.Later, Maduro also claimed victory for a third term in office during the 2024 presidential race, despite election regularities.The official vote tally was not released, and the opposition published documents that appeared to show that Maduro’s rival, Edmundo Gonzalez, had won. Protests erupted on Venezuela’s streets, and the nonprofit Human Rights Watch reported that more than 2,000 protesters were unlawfully detained, with at least 25 dead in apparent extrajudicial killings.The opposition has largely boycotted legislative elections in Venezuela, denouncing them as rigged in favour of “chavistas”.Monday’s swearing-in ceremony included the 283 members of the National Assembly elected last May. Few opposition candidates were among them.