Nicolás Maduro is set to extend his presidency until 2031 after being sworn in for a third six-year term on Friday, despite widespread protests and credible allegations that opposition candidate Edmundo González won the disputed election.
Anti-Maduro demonstrations erupted Thursday in Caracas, with hundreds demanding that González, the opposition candidate, be declared president. Opposition leader María Corina Machado, who has been barred from running for office, briefly appeared at the rally before her convoy was intercepted by security forces.
Machado’s aides reported she was detained and coerced into recording videos before being released. The government denied her arrest, dismissing the reports as opposition-led misinformation aimed at inciting international condemnation.
Venezuela’s electoral council, aligned with Maduro’s United Socialist Party, declared him the winner hours after polls closed on July 28 but provided no detailed vote counts. The opposition published tally sheets from over 80% of voting machines, showing González had secured twice as many votes as Maduro.
The lack of transparency led to international outcry. The U.S.-based Carter Center, invited by the government to observe the election, deemed the opposition’s tallies legitimate. Other election experts also confirmed the integrity of the opposition’s data, but Venezuela’s high court, dominated by Maduro allies, reaffirmed his victory without substantial evidence.
Neither the electoral council nor Maduro’s ruling party has produced verifiable proof of his victory, intensifying claims of electoral fraud.
The disputed election has drawn condemnation from leaders worldwide. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump expressed support for González and Machado, urging their safety.
“These freedom fighters should not be harmed, and MUST stay SAFE and ALIVE!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro, a Maduro ally, announced he would not attend Friday’s inauguration, citing the detention of opposition figures earlier this week.
Protests against Maduro’s presidency have led to a brutal crackdown. Over 2,000 demonstrators have been arrested, and more than 20 have been killed. Reports of torture and coercion have further tarnished the government’s image.
González, who fled to Spain in September, has vowed to return to Venezuela despite threats of arrest. On Tuesday, González accused the government of orchestrating the kidnapping of his son-in-law, Rafael Tudares, in Caracas.
“At what point did being related to Edmundo González Urrutia become a crime?” González’s daughter, Mariana González de Tudares, asked in a statement.
It remains unclear if any foreign leaders will attend Friday’s inauguration. Maduro’s 2019 swearing-in was attended by Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and then-Bolivian President Evo Morales. This time, however, the event has drawn global criticism amid allegations of electoral fraud and repression.
