Protests break out as Maduro demands another term as Venezuelan president

Caracas. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was sworn in for a new term Friday, extending his authoritarian rule amid protests and condemnations from the United States and other countries accusing him of rigging last year’s election.

The heavily guarded Caracas Legislative Palace hosted the inauguration, during which Maduro delivered a fiery speech. Crowds of supporters, many wearing pro-Maduro T-shirts, gathered in nearby streets and squares.

Maduro, comparing himself to the biblical David fighting Goliath, accused the United States and its opponents of trying to turn his inauguration into a “world war.” He called his ability to retain power a “great victory” for Venezuela’s peace and sovereignty.

“I was not appointed president by the government of the United States, nor by the pro-imperialist governments of Latin America,” Maduro said, draped in a scarf emblazoned with the red, yellow and blue of the Venezuelan flag . “I come from the people, I am of the people, and my power emanates from history and from the people. It is to the people that I owe my whole life, my body and my soul.

As government loyalists celebrated, hundreds of Venezuelans took to the streets Thursday to protest what they called Maduro’s takeover. The protests were largely peaceful, but security forces later reportedly arrested María Corina Machado, a prominent opposition leader. Machado, who is barred from running for office, came out of hiding to join the protests.

On Friday, Machado released a video recounting his brief detention. She said security forces fired on her convoy, dragged her off a motorcycle and threatened to detain her. However, on the way to the military prison, they forced her to record a video proving her life denying her detention. She also claimed that her motorcycle driver was shot in the leg.

Maduro’s allies have rejected the allegations, accusing the opposition of fabricating the incident to spark an international crisis. They cited a 20-second video showing Machado saying she only dropped her purse to prove she wasn’t being detained.

“Today, Maduro did not put a belt on his chest. He put a chain on his ankle, which will get tighter every day,” Machado said in a later message.

Maduro did not mention Machado in his inaugural speech.

State television reported that 10 heads of state were present at the ceremony. However, many governments around the world rejected Maduro’s electoral victory, citing credible evidence that his little-known opponent, Edmundo González, had won by a margin of more than two to one.

The United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and the European Union responded Friday with a series of coordinated sanctions targeting more than 20 Venezuelan officials. These included Supreme Court judges, electoral authorities and senior officials accused of dismantling democracy.

The Biden administration also extended a special authorization allowing 600,000 Venezuelan migrants to stay in the United States for 18 months, citing Venezuela’s “grave humanitarian emergency.” Additionally, he increased the reward for Maduro’s arrest on drug trafficking charges to $25 million and placed a $15 million bounty on Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino.

In a video from the Dominican Republic, González thanked Venezuela’s “democratic friends” for their support and condemned Maduro as a dictator. “The people do not support him, nor any government that can call itself democratic,” he said, adding that he would return to Venezuela when everything was safe.

Maduro’s 2018 re-election was widely denounced as fraudulent, with opposition figures blocked from running and allegations of ballot tampering. Election observers from the United Nations and the Carter Center later corroborated opposition claims that González had won.

Despite the evidence, electoral authorities declared Maduro the winner, sparking protests across the country. The government responded with mass arrests, killing at least 20 people during the unrest and arresting more than 2,000 protesters. Dozens of foreigners, including 10 Americans, were also arrested.

On the sidelines of the inauguration, Maduro supporters celebrated. Among them was Maricarmen Ruiz, 18, who said: “I am happy. I have no words to express my emotion. She said she was relieved that González had not been “imposed” as president.

Notably absent from the ceremony was Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who boycotted the event after the recent arrest of a Venezuelan opponent and human rights defender.

González, who fled to Spain in September, had promised to return to Venezuela to take the oath himself. However, Maduro’s closure of Venezuela’s airspace and its border with Colombia for 72 hours made his return almost impossible.

On Tuesday, González claimed his son-in-law was kidnapped in Caracas by masked gunmen while he was taking his children to school. In a statement, González’s daughter, Mariana González de Tudares, accused the government of orchestrating the kidnapping.

“When did the relationship with Edmundo González Urrutia become a crime? she said.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was sworn in for a new term Friday, extending his increasingly authoritarian rule amid protests and condemnations from the United States and other countries accusing him of rigging the country’s elections. last year.

The heavily guarded Caracas Legislative Palace hosted the inauguration, during which Maduro delivered a fiery speech. Crowds of supporters, many wearing pro-Maduro T-shirts, gathered in nearby streets and squares.

Maduro, comparing himself to the biblical David fighting Goliath, accused the United States and its opponents of trying to turn his inauguration into a “world war.” He called his ability to retain power a “great victory” for Venezuela’s peace and sovereignty.

“I was not appointed president by the government of the United States, nor by the pro-imperialist governments of Latin America,” Maduro said, draped in a scarf emblazoned with the red, yellow and blue of the Venezuelan flag . “I come from the people, I am of the people, and my power emanates from history and from the people. It is to the people that I owe my whole life, my body and my soul.

As government loyalists celebrated, hundreds of Venezuelans took to the streets Thursday to protest what they called Maduro’s takeover. The protests were largely peaceful, but security forces later reportedly arrested María Corina Machado, a prominent opposition leader. Machado, who is barred from running for office, came out of hiding to join the protests.

On Friday, Machado released a video recounting his brief detention. She said security forces fired on her convoy, dragged her off a motorcycle and threatened to detain her. However, on the way to the military prison, they forced her to record a video proving her life denying her detention. She also claimed that her motorcycle driver was shot in the leg.

Maduro’s allies have rejected the allegations, accusing the opposition of fabricating the incident to spark an international crisis. They cited a 20-second video showing Machado saying she only dropped her purse to prove she wasn’t being detained.

“Today, Maduro did not put a belt on his chest. He put a chain on his ankle, which will get tighter every day,” Machado said in a later message.

Maduro did not mention Machado in his inaugural speech.

State television reported that 10 heads of state were present at the ceremony. However, many governments around the world rejected Maduro’s electoral victory, citing credible evidence that his little-known opponent, Edmundo González, had won by a margin of more than two to one.

The United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and the European Union responded Friday with a series of coordinated sanctions targeting more than 20 Venezuelan officials. These included Supreme Court judges, electoral authorities and senior officials accused of dismantling democracy.

The Biden administration also extended a special authorization allowing 600,000 Venezuelan migrants to stay in the United States for 18 months, citing Venezuela’s “grave humanitarian emergency.” Additionally, he increased the reward for Maduro’s arrest on drug trafficking charges to $25 million and placed a $15 million bounty on Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino.

In a video from the Dominican Republic, González thanked Venezuela’s “democratic friends” for their support and condemned Maduro as a dictator. “The people do not support him, nor any government that can call itself democratic,” he said, adding that he would return to Venezuela when everything was safe.

Maduro’s 2018 re-election was widely denounced as fraudulent, with opposition figures blocked from running and allegations of ballot tampering. Election observers from the United Nations and the Carter Center later corroborated opposition claims that González had won.

Despite the evidence, electoral authorities declared Maduro the winner, sparking protests across the country. The government responded with mass arrests, killing at least 20 people during the unrest and arresting more than 2,000 protesters. Dozens of foreigners, including 10 Americans, were also arrested.

On the sidelines of the inauguration, Maduro supporters celebrated. Among them was Maricarmen Ruiz, 18, who said: “I am happy. I have no words to express my emotion. She said she was relieved that González had not been “imposed” as president.

Notably absent from the ceremony was Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who boycotted the event after the recent arrest of a Venezuelan opponent and human rights defender.

González, who fled to Spain in September, had promised to return to Venezuela to take the oath himself. However, Maduro’s closure of Venezuela’s airspace and its border with Colombia for 72 hours made his return almost impossible.

On Tuesday, González claimed his son-in-law was kidnapped in Caracas by masked gunmen while he was taking his children to school. In a statement, González’s daughter, Mariana González de Tudares, accused the government of orchestrating the kidnapping.

“When did the relationship with Edmundo González Urrutia become a crime? she said.

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