Venezuela’s vice president and oil minister, Delcy Rodriguez, was formally sworn in on Monday as the country’s interim president, amid the appearance of U.S.-deposed President Nicolas Maduro in a New York court on drug charges, following his removal from power by the Trump administration in a dramatic weekend military action.
Rodriguez, a 56-year-old labour lawyer renowned for her close ties to the private sector and unwavering devotion to the ruling party, was sworn in by her brother Jorge, who serves as the head of the national assembly.
Also sworn in on Monday were 283 lawmakers elected last May, with only a small number classified as opposition members. Most of the opposition, particularly the faction led by Nobel Prize winner Machado, boycotted the contest.
The only lawmaker absent from the proceedings was first lady Cilia Flores, who is currently in U.S. custody.