CARACAS, Feb 13 — Nicolás Maduro, who is imprisoned in the US, remains the legitimate leader of Venezuela, acting President Delcy Rodríguez has said, the German Press Agency (dpa) reported, citing NBC.
“I can tell you that President Nicolás Maduro is the legitimate president,” Rodríguez told US broadcaster NBC in Caracas in an interview published on Thursday, more than a month after Maduro’s capture by the US military.
Following the US operation in Caracas on Jan 3, Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were taken to New York, where they have been charged with drug offences.
Rodríguez, who served as vice president under Maduro, took over at the helm of the oil-rich country following the US intervention.
Since the change of power, Venezuela has been in a phase of political upheaval.
Rodríguez is now seen as a key contact for the US government, particularly in negotiations over the country’s huge oil reserves.
US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright is currently on a visit to Venezuela and has held talks with Rodríguez.
