Delcy Rodriguez sworn in as Venezuela's interim president, vows unity and stability

Venezuela's vice president and oil minister Delcy Rodriguez was formally sworn in on Monday (January 5) as the country's interim president, as U.S.-deposed President Nicolas Maduro appeared in a New York court on drug charges.

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump removed Maduro 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 them are classed as opposition - most of the opposition, especially the faction directed by Nobel Prize winner Machado, boycotted the election.

Earlier in the day Rodriguez invited the U.S. government to collaborate on an agenda of cooperation, in a statement on social media that struck a conciliatory tone following her initial statement on Saturday that she stood firmly behind Maduro.

She said that Venezuela "aspires to live without external threats" and that she wanted to prioritise moving towards balanced and respectful relations with the United States.

-Reuters