Wednesday, January 15, 2025 - Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro has been sworn in for a third presidential term despite the protests of the country’s opposition movement, and non-acknowledgement by Western powers.
The ceremony occurred on Friday, January 10 in a small room
of the National Assembly, a marked difference from previous ceremonies held in
the building’s main hall.
Maduro was sworn in by National Assembly leader Jorge
Rodríguez, who placed the presidential sash on him, prompting thunderous
applause from those in attendance.
“We’ve achieved what we knew we would achieve,” Maduro said
during his first speech after being
sworn in.
“The power given to me was not given by a foreign
government, a foreign president or a gringo government,” Maduro said at the
event, which saw Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and Cuba’s Miguel
Diaz-Canel in attendance.
“No one in this world can impose a president in Venezuela.”
China and Russia also sent representatives, with Russia’s
State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin seen arriving late on a state media
broadcast after the ceremony began ahead of schedule.
Former Bolivian President Evo Morales expressed support for Maduro, writing on X that his nation “salutes the Venezuelan people who once again defeated attempts to destabilize their government.”
Maduro was proclaimed winner of the country’s presidential
election on July 28, by electoral authorities under the tight control of the
ruling Socialist Party but Venezuela’s opposition has published thousands of
voting tallies claiming that their candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, had actually
won the vote with 67% against Maduro’s 30%.
On a call previewing the announcement, the official told
reporters that Maduro, “stands mostly alone at this juncture, with few friends
in the region and the world,” noting calls from countries throughout the region
and across the globe “since July 28th to call on Maduro to respect democratic
norms.”
The United Kingdom on Friday sanctioned 15 people associated
with Maduro and what it called his “contested regime,” including leaders from
Venezuela’s Armed Forces and members of the Supreme Justice Tribunal.
The European Union also issued sanctions against 15 people
affiliated with Maduro, who have been accused of “undermining democracy, rule
of law or human rights in Venezuela.” And Canada sanctioned 14 current and
former senior officials who it said engaged in activities that “supported human
rights violations” in the country.
Maduro did not name any of Venezuela’s opposition leaders in
his speech but referred to the movement currently led by Maria Corina Machado
and Edmundo Gonzalez as “Guaidó 2.0” — a reference to Juan Guaidó, who in 2019
proclaimed himself interim president of Venezuela and was recognized by 50
countries, including the US.
“A Guaidó 2.0 talks to the people in the streets, a new
Guaidó, and comes with the same baggage, we saw it, we saw their plans, we saw
them yesterday,” Maduro said, apparently referring to an opposition rally
attended by Machado on Thursday.
Guaidó himself condemned the inauguration, writing on X that
“the president of Venezuela is Edmundo González Urrutia.”
“Maduro only confirms his usurpation and the coup d’état
they carried out on July 28,” Guaidó added.
Venezuelan opposition coalition Plataforma de la Unidad
Democrática echoed Guaidó’s remarks, saying, “A new phase begins today in this
fight for the freedom of Venezuela throughout the national territory and in all
sectors that form our nation.”
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