Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whose nearly 12-year tenure has been marked by a deep economic and social crisis, was sworn in for a third term on Friday, despite a six-month-long election dispute that has drawn international calls for his ouster. And an increase in the American reward offered for his capture.
Since 2013, President Maduro was declared the winner of the July election by both Venezuela’s electoral authority and top court, although detailed figures confirming his victory have never been published.
Venezuela’s opposition says ballot-box-level figures show a landslide victory for its former candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, who is recognized as president-elect by many countries, including the United States. International election observers said the vote was not democratic.
The months following the election have seen González flee to Spain in September, his ally MarÃa Corina Machado go into hiding in Venezuela, and the detention of high-profile opposition figures and protesters.
In the latest in a series of punitive moves, the outgoing Biden administration has increased its reward for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Maduro on drug trafficking charges to $25 million, up from $15 million previously.
It also issued a $25 million bounty for Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and a $15 million bounty for Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino, as well as new sanctions against eight other officials, including the head of state oil company PDVSA Héctor Obregón.
The US indicted Maduro and others on narcotics and corruption charges in 2020. Maduro has rejected the allegations.
The US move coincides with sanctions by Britain and the EU targeting 15 officials, including members of the National Election Council and security forces, and 14 current and former Canadian officials.
The Maduro government has always rejected all sanctions, saying they are illegitimate measures that amount to “economic warfare” designed to paralyze Venezuela.
“The outgoing government of the United States does not know how to take revenge on us,” Maduro said during his inaugural speech, without directly mentioning the sanctions.
Venezuela’s communications ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the sanctions.
Maduro and his allies have praised the country’s resilience despite these measures, although they have historically blamed sanctions for some economic difficulties and shortcomings.
opposition to speaking
Gonzalez, who is visiting the United States this week, has said he will return to Venezuela to assume the presidency, but has not given any details.
The government, which has accused the opposition of fomenting fascist plots against him, has said Gonzalez will be arrested if he returns and has offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to his capture. .
Opposition leaders Gonzalez and Machado are expected to speak later Friday.
Both are being investigated by the Attorney General’s Office for an alleged conspiracy, but only Gonzalez has a public warrant for his arrest.
Machado’s first public appearance since August at an anti-government march in Caracas on Thursday was marred by a brief detention.
Her Vente Venezuela political movement said guns were fired and Machado was thrown from the motorcycle on which she was leaving the event. After this he was caught and forced to make several videos.
In a video shared on social media and by government officials, she is seen sitting on a road and talking about losing her wallet.
The government ridiculed the incident and denied any involvement.
Justice NGO Foro Penal said some 42 people had been detained for political reasons since Tuesday.
Maduro took the oath at the National Assembly in Caracas, saying he was taking the oath in the name of sixteenth-century indigenous leader Guaicaipuro and the late President Hugo Chávez, his mentor, among others.
“May this new presidency be a period of peace, prosperity, equality and a new democracy,” Maduro said. He said he would convene a commission dedicated to constitutional reform.
Maduro said, “This act is possible because Venezuela is peaceful, in full observance of its national sovereignty, its popular sovereignty, its national independence.”
According to the government, about 2,000 invitees from 125 countries attended the inauguration.
Maduro’s staunch allies, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel and Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, attended, as well as Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the lower house of Russia’s parliament.
financial troubles
Venezuela closed its borders and airspace to Colombia for 72 hours starting at 5 a.m. local time (1000 GMT), the foreign ministry in Bogota said in a statement, adding that the border with Colombia would remain open.
The opposition, NGOs, and international bodies such as the United Nations have for years condemned the increasing repression of opposition political parties, activists, and independent media in Venezuela.
America’s newly elected President Donald Trump has said that the country is being run by a dictator.
Meanwhile, the government has repeatedly accused the opposition of plotting subversion and terrorism in collaboration with foreign governments and agencies, including the Central Intelligence Agency.
The government said this week it had detained seven “mercenaries”, including a high-ranking FBI official and a US military officer.
The Venezuelan economy has experienced a prolonged crisis due to triple-digit inflation and an exodus of more than 7 million migrants seeking better opportunities abroad.
Many of Machado’s supporters, including retired Venezuelans who want to see their children and grandchildren return to the country, say jobs, inflation and unreliable public services are among their top concerns.
Meanwhile, the government has used conservative methods to reduce inflation with some success. Maduro said this month that the economy grew 9% last year.
Nearly 2,000 people were arrested in post-election protests. The government said this week it had released 1,515 of them.
Gonzalez, 75, said her son-in-law was abducted Tuesday while he was taking his children to school.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
