Venezuela Supreme Court names Delcy Rodriguez acting president after Maduro's removal
The ruling, announced late Saturday local time, concludes that Maduro is in a 'material and temporary impossibility to exercise his functions'
Venezuela's Supreme Court has directed Vice President Delcy Rodriguez to assume the role of acting president following the removal of President Nicolas Maduro by the United States, a move that has sharply intensified the country's ongoing political crisis.
The ruling, announced late Saturday local time, concluded that Maduro is in a "material and temporary impossibility to exercise his functions," CNN reported.
The decision was delivered during a televised court session, formally triggering constitutional provisions related to presidential absence.
Reading the order, Supreme Court Justice Tania D'Amelio said Rodriguez would "assume and exercise, as acting president, all the powers, duties, and faculties inherent to the office of president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, in order to guarantee administrative continuity and the comprehensive defense of the nation".
Venezuela's constitution provides that in cases of temporary or permanent absence of the president, executive authority passes to the vice president, a provision the court cited in justifying its decision, CNN noted.
As the political transition unfolded in Caracas, US authorities began preparations to transfer Maduro to the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in New York City.
The federal facility is widely criticised for overcrowding, chronic staffing shortages, inmate violence and infrastructure failures, according to CNN.
