The acting president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, was recognized on Wednesday as the commander-in-chief of the Bolivarian National Armed Force (FANB), 25 days after the United States captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in Caracas and transported them to New York.
In an event broadcasted by the state channel Venezolana de Televisión (VTV), various components of the FANB, led by the Minister of Defense, Vladimir Padrino López; the Minister of Interior and Justice, Diosdado Cabello; and the President of Parliament, Jorge Rodríguez, swore allegiance to the Chavista leader, reported EFE.
Rodríguez, who described the ceremony as a "symbolic" act, made the FANB swear "before God" that they will honor "the sacred oath to defend the homeland, its Constitution, its laws, and its institutions, even to the point of losing their lives if necessary."
During the event, the acting president urged the military and police to defend "the future and peace" of the country. "We will overcome, we will together defend the future and ensure lasting peace," she said.
For his part, Diosdado Cabello expressed the "absolute loyalty" of the security agencies and stated that "defending the management of the acting president is defending the continuity of the Government and the integrity of the Venezuelan people."
In the same vein, Vladimir Padrino López swore “absolute loyalty and subordination” to Rodríguez on behalf of the FANB and handed over the country's baton of command in an event that, according to state television, was attended by 3,200 fighters.
"We swear loyalty and absolute subordination to citizen Delcy Rodríguez as the acting president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela," stated the Minister of Defense.
Rodríguez assumed the functions of the Executive on January 5, after being sworn in by the president of the Parliament, Jorge Rodríguez, in compliance with an orders from the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ).
The president has stated that Venezuela is entering a new "political moment" and announced an "exploratory" process to resume relations with the United States, which includes the sale of Venezuelan oil.
On the same day, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated before Congress that President Donald Trump's administration "is not planning nor intends to carry out a new attack on Venezuelan territory," although he did not rule out the use of force to compel the interim government to cooperate.
Trump, for his part, has demanded “total access to Venezuela's oil” and recently stated that the government led by Rodríguez “has shown very strong leadership.”
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