Venezuelan army says it backs Vice President Rodríguez as interim leader

Interim President Delcy Rodríguez has taken over Maduro’s position with the support of all judicial and political institutions.

Rodríguez and her brother Jorge, now head of Congress, have been rising figures since Maduro took office in 2013.

Then there’s Diosdado Cabello, a former army captain close to the late Hugo Chávez, who’s remained a key military and business power broker.

All of them appear united in denouncing Maduro’s "kidnapping" and seem determined to preserve the power structures of recent years.

Behind the executive branch, there’s a huge - almost decisive - influence from the military, led by Vladimir Padrino, the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces.

Over the last decade, the military has steadily gained power across all areas of life in Venezuela. For now, there’s no sign that this will change.

Donald Trump has said the US is in charge of the situation in Venezuela, and while it’s very likely he’s negotiating oil-extraction concessions with Rodríguez, on the ground it’s the military that continues to exercise power.

There, increasingly, illegal armed groups - such as Colombian guerrillas, especially the ELN - have consolidated their power and control over society and drug-trafficking routes. The fight among those groups for territorial control is now likely to resume.

In reality, the question of who exercises power in Venezuela has never had a single, clear answer.