CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was sworn in Friday to serve a third six-year term, extending his increasingly repressive rule until 2031 despite protests and credible evidence that his opponent won the election.
Venezuela’s legislative palace, where he was sworn in, was heavily guarded by police, military and intelligence officers. Crowds of people, many sporting pro-Maduro T-shirts, gathered in adjacent streets and a nearby plaza.
Standing before officials, Maduro cited historic figures including his predecessor, Hugo Chávez.
“I swear by history, I swear by my life,” Maduro said. His followers erupted into cheers.
One of them was Maricarmen Ruiz, 18, who couldn’t hold back her tears.
“I don’t have words to express my emotion, I’m happy,” she said, expressing relief that opposition leader Edmundo González wasn’t “imposed” instead as president.
The opposition collected tally sheets from more than 80% of electronic voting machines following the July 28 election, posted the tallies online and said they show González won twice as many votes as Maduro.
On Thursday, as hundreds of anti-Maduro protesters took to the streets of the capital, Caracas, aides to opposition leader María Corina Machado said she was briefly detained by security forces and coerced into recording videos.
The popular former lawmaker, whom the government has barred from running for office, had emerged from months of hiding to join the rally to demand González be sworn in instead of Maduro.
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado addresses supporters at a protest against President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela, on Jan. 9, 2025, a day ahead of Maduro’s inauguration ceremony.
Ariana Cubillos via Associated Press
Machado addressed the rally then left on a motorcycle with her security convoy. Machado’s press team later announced on social media that security forces “violently intercepted” her convoy. Her aides confirmed to The Associated Press that the opposition hardliner was detained.
Leaders in the Americas and Europe condemned the government for suppressing opposition voices and demanded her release. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump expressed his support for Machado and González.
“These freedom fighters should not be harmed, and MUST stay SAFE and ALIVE!” Trump said on Truth Social.
Maduro’s supporters denied that Machado was arrested, saying government opponents were spreading fake news to generate an international crisis.
The brouhaha ahead of Maduro’s inauguration added to the litany of allegations of electoral fraud and brutal repression to silence dissent.
Electoral authorities loyal to the ruling party declared Maduro the winner hours after polls closed on July 28, but unlike in previous presidential elections, they did not provide detailed vote counts.
Global condemnation over the lack of transparency prompted Maduro to ask the country’s high court — also filled with allies of his United Socialist Party of Venezuela — to audit the election results. The court reaffirmed Maduro’s victory without providing thorough evidence and encouraged the electoral council to release the vote counts.