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Venezuela\u2019s National Assembly inaugurated Delcy Rodr\u00edguez \u2013 who has served as vice president since 2018 \u2013 as acting president on Monday, an overt signal that she\u2019s won the regime\u2019s blessing for her political takeover despite her conciliatory gestures to the US.<\/p>\n
The biggest public endorsement came from Nicol\u00e1s Maduro\u2019s own son, who said he would \u201cunconditionally support\u201d her.<\/p>\n
Nicol\u00e1s Maduro Guerra\u2019s comments mark his first public backing of Rodr\u00edguez, who US President Donald Trump has said would work with Washington to \u201cmake Venezuela great again\u201d. Maduro Guerra spoke during the installation of Venezuela\u2019s National Assembly in Caracas on Monday.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo you, Delcy, my unconditional support. Count on me and my family,\u201d Maduro Guerra said, after tearfully describing what he called difficult hours for his family.<\/p>\n
After initially describing Maduro\u2019s capture by US forces as \u201cbarbaric\u201d, Rodriguez struck a more conciliatory tone\u00a0late on Sunday, asking the US to work with her country on a cooperation agenda.<\/p>\n
Jorge Rodr\u00edguez, Delcy\u2019s brother, said she would be sworn in \u201clater on Monday\u201d after he was reinstated as head of the assembly for a sixth consecutive annual term.<\/p>\n
Her imminent installation comes just days after Maduro was seized by US forces and flown to New York, a move that plunged the oil-rich country into political uncertainty and intensified scrutiny of Washington\u2019s intentions.<\/p>\n
Maduro Guerra, 34, has served in the National Assembly since 2021 and was sworn in for a new legislative term on Monday.<\/p>\n
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\nOften referred to as \u201cNicolasito\u201d, he is Maduro\u2019s only son and has frequently been seen alongside him at political rallies and public events.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
The ruling party has promoted him as part of a younger generation of leaders where he has largely focused on religious affairs.<\/p>\n
Maduro Guerra echoed Delcy Rodr\u00edguez\u2019s call for foreign investment based on respect. He said he\u2019d had indirect communication with his father.<\/p>\n
While the parliamentary session was under way, Maduro supporters took to the streets for a second consecutive day to protest his capture.<\/p>\n
\nThe only absent lawmaker among the 285 elected last year was Maduro\u2019s wife, Cilia Flores, whose empty seat and name were shown on state television.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Ruling party lawmakers appeared largely sombre, though many flashed victory signs and raised clenched fists in a show of resistance. Longtime Maduro allies, including his right-hand man Juan Escalona, received visible gestures of support from colleagues.<\/p>\n
What happens next?<\/strong><\/p>\n
Venezuela\u2019s constitution \u2013 dating to 1999 at the dawn of the socialist era spearheaded by late presidential icon Hugo Ch\u00e1vez \u2013 offers different scenarios depending on how Venezuelan authorities classify Maduro\u2019s removal from office.<\/p>\n
In a ruling issued Sunday, the country\u2019s rubber-stamp Supreme Tribunal of Justice indicated it is treating the episode as a temporary forced absence, a designation that preserves the existing government structure while starting a constitutional clock until elections are convened.<\/p>\n
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\nUnder that framework, Rodr\u00edguez may exercise executive authority for up to 90 days, extending the interim period into April.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
The constitution allows for a single 90-day extension, which would push the deadline to July and force lawmakers to decide whether Maduro\u2019s absence has become permanent.<\/p>\n
If the National Assembly declares an absolute absence during the first year of Maduro\u2019s current term, the national charter requires a new presidential election within 30 days, opening the door to a vote as early as August if lawmakers move quickly to formalise his removal.<\/p>\n
Members of the new assembly were elected in an early vote in May 2025, amid widespread disappointment and fear among voters. Most of the opposition, led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mar\u00eda Corina Machado, boycotted, arguing it was an attempt to eclipse Maduro\u2019s July 2024 reelection, which was widely deemed to have been fraudulent.<\/p>\n
\nThe opposition says Machado\u2019s stand-in candidate Edmundo Gonz\u00e1lez won by a landslide.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
A more dovish faction of the opposition, including former governor and two-time presidential candidate Henrique Capriles, chose to participate in the parliamentary vote and a subsequent regional election. That group secured fewer than 20 seats, far short of the numbers needed to influence legislation. Another opposition bloc widely viewed as aligned with the government won 13 seats. The assembly has 285 members.<\/p>\n
\u00a9\u00a02026\u00a0Bloomberg<\/p>\n
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