Caracas, April 11 (QNA) – The Venezuelan opposition has called for presidential elections, noting that the 90-day legal deadline to hold a vote to choose a successor to ousted President Nicolás Maduro has expired.

In a statement, the Vente party led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado pointed to Maduro’s complete absence following his arrest by US special forces on Jan. 3, and said that, as a result, presidential elections must be called within 30 days of this announcement.

Maduro’s former vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, had been sworn in as acting president on Jan. 5, two days after Maduro was flown out of Venezuela on a US military aircraft to face trial in New York on drug trafficking charges.

The Venezuelan constitution stipulates that the vice president assumes power in the event of the president’s temporary absence for up to 90 days, which may be extended by the National Assembly.

Article 234 of the constitution, cited by the Vente party, states that if the temporary absence continues for more than 90 consecutive days, the National Assembly must decide by majority vote whether the absence should be considered permanent. (QNA)