Nicolas Maduro invested for a third term as president, an election denounced by the opposition, the United States and the EU

The outgoing Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro, with the support of the army and a loyalist administration, was sworn in on Friday, January 10, for a third six-year term during a ceremony described as “coup d’état” by the opposition, which claims victory in the July presidential election.

“I swear that this new presidential mandate will be one of peace, prosperity, equality and the new democracy. I swear by history, I swear by my life. I will keep my word! »he told the President of the Assembly, Jorge Rodriguez, who then declared: “You are invested as constitutional president. »

Mr. Maduro, who described his inauguration as “victory of democracy”, arrived at the federal legislative palace around 10:30 a.m. local time (3:30 p.m. Paris time), passing among soldiers in gala dress before entering the building, where he shook hands with the president for a long time Cuban Miguel Diaz-Canel, one of the rare heads of state present, a sign of his international isolation.

The Assembly district, in central Caracas, was cordoned off by police, while public television broadcast images of hundreds of supporters of Mr. Maduro marching through the streets to celebrate his inauguration. The government closed the border with Colombia at dawn on Friday, citing a “international plot to disturb the peace of Venezuelans”. This closure is expected to last until Monday.

The head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, declared in a press release that Nicolas Maduro had not “no democratic legitimacy”. “The European Union stands alongside those who defend democratic values ​​in Venezuela”she added in a press release on behalf of the 27.

The United States denounced “simulacrum” and imposed new sanctions against Caracas, including increasing the reward to $25 million for information leading to bringing the Venezuelan leader to justice.

Demonstrations and great confusion

“A coup d’état has been accomplished”reacted for its part the main opposition coalition, Plataforma Unitaria, in a press release published on social networks. The coalition evokes “the usurpation of power by Nicolas Maduro […], supported by brute force and ignoring the popular sovereignty forcefully expressed on July 28”. “C’est Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia”the opposition candidate in the presidential election, “which must be invested today or tomorrow […] The will of the people will be respected”concludes the text.

The inauguration ceremony comes the day after demonstrations by the opposition who contest the victory of the 62-year-old socialist head of state in the July 28 election, the proclamation of which was followed by deadly unrest and thousands of arrests.

The opposition candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, claims to have won this election and repeated Thursday, from the Dominican Republic, an hour’s plane from Caracas, that he was the “president-elect”. Without bending the man who succeeded Hugo Chavez in 2013 and has since ruled Venezuela with an iron fist.

The opposition demonstration on Thursday brought together thousands of people shouting “We are not afraid! » or held signs reading “Freedom cannot be begged, it must be conquered”. It gave rise to some confusion at the end of the day, when the opposition announced the “violent” arrest of its leader, Maria Corina Machado.

A few dozen minutes later, the opponent’s team announced her release: “Leaving the rally, Maria Corina Machado (…) was taken away by force. During her kidnapping, she was forced to record several videos and was later released. » The government denied this version of the facts, with Attorney General Tarek William Saab denouncing “a psychological operation to trigger violence in Venezuela” and recalling that M^me Machado was the subject of a criminal investigation.

The opposition leader had been living in hiding since the presidential election, in which she was unable to run after being declared ineligible. She supported the candidacy of Mr. Gonzalez Urrutia, who went into exile in September.

Army support

The day after this brief arrest, the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, deplored “a new unacceptable act of repression by the regime” by M. Maduro, “whose proclaimed electoral victory we do not recognize”. “The legitimate aspirations for freedom and democracy of the Venezuelan people must finally become reality”she continued.

The National Electoral Council (CNE) proclaimed Mr. Maduro the winner with nearly 52% of the votes but without publishing the minutes, claiming to be the victim of computer hacking, an assertion considered not very credible by many observers. The CNE’s announcement provoked demonstrations throughout the country, which were harshly repressed. The unrest resulted in 28 deaths, more than 200 injuries and 2,400 people arrested. A wave of arrests also took place in the days preceding the inauguration of the head of state.

As during the demonstrations of 2014, 2017 and 2019, which left more than 200 dead, Mr. Maduro was able to count on the support of the army, a pillar of his power, as well as on justice under orders. He had even activated a national security plan including all security forces (army, police, militias, paramilitaries) after saying he was the target of new plots.

The socialist president, who promised during his electoral campaign an improvement in the economic situation, will have to find solutions to return to growth, Venezuela having recorded a contraction in its GDP of 80% between 2013 and 2023. Isolated on the internationally, it will be difficult for it to lift the sanctions which it will therefore have to try to circumvent in order to exploit its immense oil reserves without having to sell them off due to the embargo.

The Venezuelan head of state has also promised constitutional revisions which include provisions that many NGOs consider repressive and likely to weaken democracy.