Venezuela’s Supreme Court orders VP Delcy Rodriguez become interim president

By Reuters 4 January 2026, 4:50 am

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Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez speaks to the press at the Foreign Office in Caracas, Venezuela, August 11, 2025. (AP/Ariana Cubillos)

The Constitutional Chamber of Venezuela’s Supreme Court orders that Vice President Delcy Rodríguez assume the role of acting president of the country in the absence of Nicolás Maduro, who was detained in an operation by US forces.

The court ruling says that Rodríguez will assume “the office of President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, in order to guarantee administrative continuity and the comprehensive defense of the Nation.”

The ruling adds that the court will debate the matter in order to “determine the applicable legal framework to guarantee the continuity of the State, the administration of government, and the defense of sovereignty in the face of the forced absence of the President of the Republic.”