Delcy Rodriguez formally sworn in as Venezuela’s interim president

Venezuela’s vice president and oil minister Delcy Rodriguez was formally sworn in on Monday as the country’s interim president, as U.S.-deposed President Nicolas Maduro appeared in a New York court on drug charges, after the Trump administration removed him from power in a dramatic weekend military action.

Rodriguez, a 56-year-old labor lawyer known for close connections to the private sector and her devotion to the ruling party, was sworn in by her brother Jorge, who is the head of the national assembly legislature.

Also sworn in on Monday were 283 lawmakers elected last May. Just a small number of are classed as opposition – most of the opposition, especially the faction directed by Nobel Prize winner Machado, boycotted the contest. The only lawmaker not in attendance was first lady Cilia Flores, who is in U.S. custody.

Here swearing in comes days after U.S. President Donald Trump said that the United States might launch a second military strike on Venezuela following the capture of President Nicolas Maduro if remaining members of the administration do not cooperate with his efforts to get the country “fixed.”

Trump’s comments to reporters aboard Air Force One raised the possibility of further U.S. military interventions in Latin America, and suggested Colombia and Mexico could also face military action if they do not reduce the flow of illicit drugs to the United States.

Trump said his administration will work with remaining members of the Maduro regime to clamp down on drug trafficking and overhaul its oil industry, rather than push for immediate elections to install a new government.

Venezuela’s Defense Minister General Vladimir Padrino said on state television the U.S. attack killed soldiers, civilians and a “large part” of Maduro’s security detail “in cold blood.” Venezuela’s armed forces have been activated to guarantee sovereignty, he said.

Rodriguez has long been considered the most pragmatic member of Maduro’s inner circle. But she has publicly contradicted Trump’s claim she is willing to work with the United States. (REUTERS)