CARACAS, Venezuela – Venezuela’s powerful military leadership has recognised Vice President Delcy Rodríguez as the country’s acting president following the dramatic removal of President Nicolás Maduro by United States forces, plunging the crisis-hit nation into a new phase of political uncertainty.
Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino López on Sunday publicly endorsed a Supreme Court ruling that appoints Rodríguez to lead the country for a 90-day interim period, signalling the armed forces’ alignment with the transition plan.
In a televised address, Padrino said the military would uphold the constitutional order, even as he condemned the US operation that led to Maduro’s capture and extradition to face trial.
“The homeland must follow its constitutional course,” he said, urging Venezuelans to return to work, school and normal economic activity after days of shock and fear in the capital.
The announcement came less than 48 hours after US airstrikes rocked Caracas and special forces carried out an operation that seized Maduro and his wife, marking one of the most dramatic interventions in Venezuela’s long-running political standoff.
US President Donald Trump has since suggested Rodríguez is a figure Washington could engage with, raising expectations of a possible reset in relations if the interim government holds.
However, Padrino strongly criticised the operation, describing it as a “cowardly kidnapping” and claiming that several of Maduro’s bodyguards, along with Venezuelan military personnel and civilians, were killed “in cold blood.”
Authorities have yet to release an official casualty toll from the US action.
On Sunday, Caracas remained tense but largely calm. Streets were unusually quiet, many businesses stayed shut, and only small queues formed outside markets and pharmacies as residents cautiously ventured out.
“I call on the people of Venezuela to resume their activities of all kinds — economic, work and education — in the coming days,” Padrino said, in an apparent attempt to project stability amid lingering uncertainty.
Rodríguez’s interim mandate is expected to focus on restoring order and charting a political path forward, though questions remain over the durability of the arrangement and how Maduro’s supporters will respond.
