Caracas, January 10, 2025 - The interim President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, promised today at an official event to push for the return of former President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, both detained in the United States following a U.S. military operation in Caracas. “We swore it,” she expressed to a crowd of followers. The statement comes amid a major political crisis following the military actions led by the United States on January 3, 2026, in which U.S. forces carried out multiple attacks in Caracas and other cities in the country, culminating in the capture of Maduro and his wife. In response to the power vacuum generated by the detention, the Supreme Court of Justice of Venezuela issued an order for Rodríguez to assume the interim presidency, representing institutional continuity and the leadership of chavismo. This decision was publicly supported by the Venezuelan armed forces, who demanded the release of Maduro and reaffirmed their loyalty to the new state leadership under Rodríguez. Despite the tensions, Rodríguez has also sought to position herself in a complex diplomatic context, calling for maintaining stable relations with the United States and appealing to a cooperation agenda in various areas, although with strong reservations about what she considers an undue intervention in Venezuela's internal affairs. The Venezuelan political landscape remains volatile: while a part of the chavist population mobilizes in support of Rodríguez and the return of Maduro, opposition sectors and international actors are closely watching the developments regarding sanctions, oil negotiations, and possible future electoral scenarios. Both have pleaded not guilty in their first appearances before the judge, marking the beginning of a judicial process that will be closely followed in the coming months due to its enormous political repercussions.
