Venezuela’s Supreme Court ordered Vice President Delcy Rodriguez to take over as interim president for Nicolas Maduro, the now-former leader who was captured by the United States during a military operation and is now detained in New York City.
The nation’s highest court ruled on Saturday night that Rodriguez will, at the very least, temporarily succeed Maduro for the sake of “administrative continuity and the comprehensive defense of the Nation.”
The ruling is in accordance with Venezuela’s constitution, which states that the vice president handles presidential duties in the event of an absence. The court said in its order that Maduro is currently in a “material and temporary impossibility to exercise his functions.”