Venezuela's army backs Delcy Rodriguez after court decision to interim leadership of the country
Venezuela's armed forces have supported the Supreme Court's decision to appoint Vice President Delcy Rodriguez as interim head of state. This was announced by Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino in a televised address on 4 January
According to him, the army is acting in accordance with the constitution and will ensure the continuity of state institutions after the detention of President Nicolas Maduro by the US military. Padrino called the US operation a kidnapping and said that Maduro's bodyguards were killed during the operation. He did not specify the exact number of victims
The Defence Minister called on citizens to resume work in the economy, education and labour in the coming days and not to give in to fear. The Supreme Court explained its decision by the need to preserve administrative continuity in connection with the events of 3 January, which Caracas called foreign military aggression
After her appointment, Rodriguez declared her loyalty to Maduro and stressed that she considers him the only legitimate president of the country. At the same time, US President Donald Trump has publicly warned that a refusal to cooperate with Washington could have serious consequences for her
Source and photo: DW.
