Caracas, Jan 5: In an indirect nod to the US move to invade Venezuela and capture President Maduro, the Venezuelan military has officially recognized Vice President Delcy Rodriguez as interim president.
The Venezuelan military on Sunday named Vice President Delcy Rodriguez as the country's interim leader, following the capture of former President Nicolas Maduro by the US military. Surprisingly, the Venezuelan military also gave its full approval.
Amid the uncertainty following the dramatic capture of the leftist president, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez has come out in support of Rodriguez, who US President Donald Trump had previously suggested was someone who could work with Washington.
Padrino read a statement on television endorsing a Supreme Court ruling that named Rodriguez interim president for 90 days.
Speaking two days after US strikes rocked the capital Caracas and special forces captured Maduro and his wife, he called on the Venezuelan people to "return to their daily lives."
"I call on the Venezuelan people to resume all forms of economic, work and educational activity in the coming days. The country must follow its constitutional path," Padrino said.
Padrino also condemned the "cowardly kidnapping" and said that some of Maduro's bodyguards were killed, as well as military personnel and civilians on the Venezuelan side. Despite all the criticism, he has not spoken about his military operation against the United States.
Venezuelan authorities have not yet given an official number of people injured or killed in the US operations. The streets of Caracas were deserted and quiet on Sunday, with many businesses closed and modest queues at some markets and pharmacies.