Overview
- Venezuela’s Supreme Court Constitutional Chamber directed Vice President Delcy Rodríguez to exercise the powers of president on an interim basis to ensure administrative continuity after Nicolás Maduro’s capture.
- Rodríguez led a televised session of the Council of Defense, demanded the immediate release of Maduro and Cilia Flores, and insisted that Maduro remains the country’s only president.
- President Donald Trump said Rodríguez spoke with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and signaled willingness to cooperate, a claim at odds with Rodríguez’s public stance rejecting a transition.
- The court cited a systematic reading of constitutional articles on temporary and absolute absences, noting that a declared ‘falta absoluta’ would require a new election within 30 days, though such a determination has not been formalized.
- State institutions and senior chavista figures rallied around Rodríguez as she advanced a decree of external commotion to the court, while reports differed on her exact whereabouts and the scope of U.S. and domestic recognition.