President Nicolás Maduro is set to be sworn in for a third six-year term Friday, extending his rule over Venezuela until 2031.
The ceremony comes despite credible allegations of electoral fraud favoring opposition candidate Edmundo González and widespread protests challenging the legitimacy of Maduro’s presidency.
Why It Matters
The presidential election held on July 28, 2024, has been mired in allegations of fraud. Electoral authorities, aligned with Maduro’s ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela, declared him the winner, citing 51.2 percent of the vote compared to González’s 44.2 percent. However, the opposition, using tally sheets from more than 80 percent of voting machines, published results indicating González had secured twice as many votes as Maduro.
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The opposition’s claims have received backing from international observers, including the U.S.-based Carter Center. Polling records published online by the opposition faction appear to exhibit all of the original security features, the center noted in its report. Maduro, in turn, requested an audit by Venezuela’s high court, also dominated by his allies. The court reaffirmed his victory but did not release comprehensive vote counts, raising further doubts.
What to Know
On Thursday, hundreds of protesters gathered in Caracas, demanding that opposition candidate González, not Maduro, be sworn in as president. Among the demonstrators was María Corina Machado, a prominent opposition leader, who was briefly detained after security forces intercepted her convoy as she left the rally. Machado’s team reported that she was coerced into recording videos, a claim the government has denied.
Venezuela’s Disputed Election Sparks International Outrage
The disputed election has sparked both international condemnation and domestic unrest. Nationwide protests have led to over 2,000 arrests, with reports of more than 20 fatalities and allegations of torture among detainees. Machado’s detention has further intensified global criticism of Maduro’s regime.
González Planning to Return to Venezuela
Meanwhile, González, who has been in exile in Spain since September, plans to return to Venezuela despite threats of arrest. His daughter, Mariana González de Tudares, has accused the government of orchestrating the kidnapping of her husband in Caracas as an act of retaliation. “At what point did being related to Edmundo González Urrutia become a crime?” she said in a statement.
AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File
What People Are Saying
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump voiced his support for Machado and González on Truth Social, stating, “These freedom fighters should not be harmed, and MUST stay SAFE and ALIVE!”
Leaders across Europe and the Americas also condemned Venezuela’s government, with Colombian President Gustavo Petro withdrawing from Friday’s inauguration in protest.
Maduro’s supporters, however, claim that opposition leaders are manufacturing a crisis to delegitimize his administration. They have dismissed Machado’s detention as “fake news,” calling her claims part of a coordinated campaign to undermine stability.
AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos
What’s Next
As Maduro prepares to take the oath of office on Friday, the opposition plans to escalate its protests and demands for transparency. Whether González will fulfill his pledge to return remains uncertain, with government officials reiterating their intent to arrest him upon arrival.
The international response will also shape the coming months. The United States and European nations have signaled their willingness to increase sanctions on Venezuela should further evidence of repression emerge. However, with allies like Cuba and China continuing to back Maduro, the nation’s political future hangs in the balance.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press
