Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, is set to take the oath of office for a third term on Friday, despite widespread international condemnation that led to protests on the eve of the ceremony.
Opposition leader María Corina Machado, who emerged from hiding to lead a demonstration in Caracas on Thursday, was briefly detained following the rally, according to her team. This sparked renewed global criticism of Maduro’s alleged election fraud and suppression of political opponents. The Venezuelan government denied any involvement in her arrest.
US President-elect Donald Trump expressed support for Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia, the man who replaced her on the ballot and is widely believed to have won the July 28 election against Maduro. On his Truth Social network, Trump called them “freedom fighters,” urging that they be kept “SAFE and ALIVE.”
During his first term, Trump had imposed sanctions on Maduro’s regime for undemocratic actions. These sanctions were partially lifted and later reimposed by his successor, Joe Biden, and could be intensified again under Trump’s potential second term.
Colombia, led by leftist President Gustavo Petro, who has historically been an ally of Maduro, condemned the “systematic harassment” of Machado, 57. Ecuador also criticized what it referred to as Maduro’s “dictatorship,” while Spain issued a “total condemnation” of Machado’s brief detention.
According to Machado’s team on X, she was “violently intercepted” as she left the protest and reported that shots were fired near her motorcycle convoy. She was detained, forced to record several videos, and later released.
Earlier, Machado delivered a defiant speech to thousands of supporters in Caracas, telling the government: “We are not afraid.” Meanwhile, her daughter, Ana Corina Sosa, joined a protest in Paris, along with dozens of other supporters.
