After Maduro’s Capture By U.S. Venezuela Gets Acting President
Venezuela’s Supreme Court on Saturday ordered Vice President Delcy Rodríguez to assume the role of acting president after President Nicolás Maduro was captured in an early-morning U.S. military operation.
In a ruling issued by the Constitutional Chamber, the court said Rodríguez would assume “the office of President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, in order to guarantee administrative continuity and the comprehensive defence of the Nation.”
The court added that it would further deliberate on the situation to “determine the applicable legal framework to guarantee the continuity of the State, the administration of government, and the defence of sovereignty in the face of the forced absence of the President of the Republic.”
Earlier on Saturday, Rodríguez partially blamed Israel for Maduro’s capture, alleging foreign involvement in what she described as an attack on Venezuela.
“The governments of the world are shocked that the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is the victim and target of an attack of this nature, which undoubtedly has Zionist undertones,” Rodríguez said in a televised address convening a National Defence Council. “It’s truly shameful.”
Meanwhile, the White House’s official social media accounts shared footage showing Maduro being escorted through a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) building in New York City. The post was captioned, “Perp walked.”
Amid the rapidly evolving situation, the U.S. State Department reiterated its highest-level travel warning for Venezuela, issuing a Level 4: Do Not Travel advisory due to what it described as “severe risks to Americans.”
In a security alert dated January 3, the U.S. Embassy warned U.S. citizens against traveling to Venezuela, noting that the security situation “remains fluid.”
The embassy, operating from Bogotá, Colombia, said no commercial flights are currently operating in or out of Venezuela and urged U.S. citizens in the country to take precautions and remain aware of their surroundings.
“Venezuela has the highest Travel Advisory level, Level 4: Do Not Travel, due to severe risks to Americans, including wrongful detention, torture in detention, terrorism, kidnapping, arbitrary enforcement of local laws, crime, civil unrest, and poor health infrastructure,” the advisory stated.
The State Department also noted that in March 2019 it withdrew all diplomatic personnel from the U.S. Embassy in Caracas and suspended operations.
“All consular services, routine and emergency, remain suspended,” it said, adding that the U.S. government remains unable to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Venezuela.
The advisory urged Americans not to travel to Venezuela and recommended that U.S. citizens already in the country establish multiple methods of communication with contacts outside Venezuela and enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program to receive security updates.
