Venezuela swears in interim leader after Maduro appears in court

Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as Venezuela’s interim president during a parliamentary session that began with demands for the release of deposed leader Nicolás Maduro from U.S. custody.

Rodríguez, 56, vice president since 2018, said she was pained by what she called the “kidnapping” of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were captured by U.S. forces in an overnight raid Saturday.

In a dramatic scene two hours earlier in a New York courtroom, Maduro insisted he was still Venezuela’s president by pleading not guilty to four charges of drug trafficking and terrorism.

Meanwhile, the United States faced sharp criticism at the UN, but the American ambassador responded that the world’s largest energy reserves could not be left in the hands of an illegitimate leader, a “fugitive from justice.”

Before the court appearance, the UN Security Council held an emergency session to discuss the situation in Venezuela.

Venezuelan Ambassador Samuel Moncada said his country had been the target of an “illegitimate armed attack devoid of any legal justification.”

The US ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, justified the attack by calling Maduro a “so-called illegitimate president”.

Waltz added that the United States conducted a “law enforcement surgery” to apprehend Maduro, whom he also called a “fugitive from justice.”

Maduro was charged with narcoterrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.

During the court appearance Monday afternoon, a member of the public began shouting in Spanish at Maduro that he would “pay” for what he had done.

Maduro turned to him and replied that he was a “kidnapped president” and a “prisoner of war” before being escorted in chains behind his wife through the back door of the court.

“I am an honest man. I am still president of my country,” Maduro said earlier in the 30-minute hearing.

Judge Alvin Hellerstein, 92, intervened to tell Maduro there would be “a time and a place to address all of this.”

Speaking just hours after Saturday’s attack – which saw more than 150 planes and 200 US troops enter Venezuela – Trump promised that the US would “lead” Venezuela until “a safe, appropriate and wise transition” was possible.

Later Monday, following a 2.5-hour classified briefing at the U.S. Capitol, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the U.S. plan to rule Venezuela was “vague, based on wishful thinking and unsatisfactory.”

“I have not received any assurance that we would not try to do the same thing in other countries,” he said.

“When the United States engages in this kind of regime change and so-called nation building, it always ends up hurting the United States.”

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson denied that the United States was engaging in regime change, saying it was a “requirement of a change in behavior by a regime.”

Calling the operation “decisive and justified,” he said the United States had “always retained the right to use force to defend our national interests, preserve the security of the American people, and prevent continuing threats to their security.”

“We have a means of persuasion,” Johnson said, “because their oil exports, as you know, have been seized, and I think that will bring the country to new governance in a very short period of time.”

Trump also promised that U.S. oil companies would move into the country to fix the infrastructure “and start making money for the country.”

But despite the US president’s assertions, Maduro’s allies remain in charge.

In comments made to US magazine The Atlantic on Sunday, once it became clear that Rodríguez would be sworn in, Trump warned that she could “pay a very high price, probably higher than Maduro” if she “did not do the right thing”.

At a cabinet meeting, Rodríguez indicated that his government would engage in some cooperation with the United States, saying: “We invite the American government to collaborate with us on a program of cooperation oriented toward shared development within the framework of international law.”

Thousands of Venezuelans gathered in front of the Federal Legislative Palace to show support for Maduro, his wife and interim President Rodríguez during his inauguration.

Speaking after taking the oath of office, Rodríguez told the National Assembly that she did so “with pain” because of the suffering caused by “illegitimate military aggression.”

She pledged to guarantee the country’s peace, “the spiritual tranquility of our people, the economic and social tranquility of our people.”

The assembly also heard from Maduro’s son who expressed support for his parents, saying they “will return” to Venezuela.

He also offered his “unconditional support” to Rodríguez.

The next court hearing in Maduro’s case is scheduled for March 17.