Venezuela's parliament rallies behind captured leader

VENEZUELA'S new parliament opened on Monday with lawmakers chanting "Let's go Nico!" as they forcibly denounced the recent capture of leftist leader Nicolas Maduro in a US military operation.

"The president of the United States, Mr Trump, claims to be the prosecutor, the judge, and the policeman of the world," senior lawmaker Fernando Soto Rojas told his colleagues in an inaugural session of Venezuela's National Assembly.

"We say: you will not succeed. And we will ultimately deploy all our solidarity so that our legitimate president, Nicolas Maduro, returns victorious to Miraflores," the presidential palace, he added.

Maduro's son, lawmaker Nicolas Maduro Moros, vowed in the same session that his toppled father and deposed first lady Cilia Flores "will return" to Venezuela.

"Sooner or later they will be with us... They will return," he said.

New members of Venezuela's single-chamber parliament were chosen last May in elections boycotted by much of the opposition, leaving 256 of the 286 seats in the hands of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) and its allies.

"Let's go Nico!" was one of the slogans of Maduro's 2024 presidential campaign, followed by elections widely denounced by the opposition and dozens of global capitals as fraudulent.

Maduro arrived at a court in New York on Monday where he is to stand trial on drug trafficking charges after a daring US military strike before dawn Saturday that resulted in his arrest.

Maduro, 63, and his wife, Cilia Flores, were brought to the Manhattan courthouse under heavy guard to face a federal judge on narcotrafficking charges.

His former vice president Delcy Rodriguez is serving as interim leader with the stated support of the Venezuelan military.

Outside, a group of people protested against the US intervention, while a smaller group expressed support.

In a series of shock announcements over the weekend, President Donald Trump declared that the US is now running Venezuela with an eye to rebuilding and controlling its huge but decrepit oil industry.

Amid international alarm, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told an emergency UN Security Council meeting that there should be "respect for the principles of sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity."

There was sharp criticism on Monday from Mexico, where President Claudia Sheinbaum said the Americas "do not belong" to anyone.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro issued a fiery statement saying that as a former guerrilla fighter he was ready to "take up arms" against Trump.

Venezuela has the world's largest proven oil reserves. However the oil is difficult and expensive to produce and after years of international sanctions and mismanagement, the infrastructure is in poor shape.

Shares in US oil majors Chevron, ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips surged on Wall Street early Monday. 

Trump, who has shocked many Americans with his unprecedented moves to accumulate domestic power, also now appears increasingly emboldened in foreign policy.

Cape Times