Caracas [Venezuela], January 6 (ANI): Delcy Rodriguez has officially taken office as Venezuela's acting president, just hours after Nicolas Maduro was captured by the United States, the CNN reported.

The oath of office was administered on Monday (local time) afternoon by her brother, National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez.

As per CNN, Rodriguez said she assumed the role with a heavy heart over what she described as the 'kidnapping' of President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores.

'I come as the executive vice president of the constitutional president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro Moros, to take the oath of office,' she said.

Meanwhile, the ambassadors of China, Russia and Iran, all close allies of Venezuela, were among the first foreign diplomats to congratulate Delcy Rodriguez after she was sworn in as the country's acting president on Monday, CNN reported.

Shortly after Rodriguez took the oath of office, she was embraced by China's ambassador to Venezuela, Lan Hu, followed by Russian Ambassador Sergey Melik-Bagdasarov. Iran's Ambassador Ali Chegini then bowed toward her with his hands clasped in a gesture of respect.

The three diplomats stood side by side during the swearing-in ceremony, according to CNN.

China, Russia and Iran have each condemned the US military operation carried out over the weekend that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his transfer to New York to face trial, CNN reported.

Meanwhile, supporters of Venezuela's ousted President Nicolas Maduro took to the streets of Caracas on Monday as Delcy Rodriguez was formally sworn in as the country's interim leader, CNN reported.

Hundreds of demonstrators were seen carrying Venezuelan flags and holding placards backing the deposed leader, who earlier pleaded not guilty in a New York court following his capture in a US military operation on Saturday.

As per CNN, the Venezuelan government has frequently organised street demonstrations to project public support for its decisions. In August, hundreds of supporters gathered in Caracas after the United States increased the reward for Maduro to $50 million, with Rodriguez among senior figures from the chavismo movement -- Venezuela's socialist political bloc -- who attended the rally.

In previous instances, protests organised by Venezuela's democratic opposition have been met with government-backed counterdemonstrations, creating a visible standoff between rival groups on the streets of the capital, according to CNN.

Meanwhile, the United States appears to be placing a greater emphasis on maintaining stability in Venezuela rather than restoring democratic governance, a former US ambassador to the country said on Monday, CNN reported.

Charles Shapiro, who previously served as the US ambassador to Venezuela, told CNN that one indication of this approach is Washington's decision to keep Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello in his post, where he continues to oversee the country's police forces. Shapiro noted that Cabello is named in the same US indictment as ousted President Nicolas Maduro.

'They're not celebrating in Caracas because they don't know what the police will do,' Shapiro said. 'So the structure of Maduro -- minus Maduro -- continues in place,' he added.

Shapiro also pointed to the swearing-in of Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez as acting president earlier in the day, noting that she has long been a close ally of Maduro.

'So clearly what we're -- we the United States -- is doing is putting stability over democracy by keeping the same people in place, the same oil people in place, the same police in place, the same military in place,' Shapiro said.

The former US ambassador further observed that US President Donald Trump 'expressed no interest' in reinstating Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, whom Venezuela's opposition claims won the 2024 presidential election, CNN reported.

Shapiro added that Trump also signalled little confidence in Maria Corina Machado, the leader of Venezuela's opposition movement, dismissing the prospect of her serving as an interim leader.

Instead, Shapiro said the US administration appears to be focusing on leveraging Venezuela's oil sector as a potential source of funding for the country's reconstruction, though he cautioned that 'that's a complicated set of how we're going to do this.' (ANI)