He was sworn in in the name of 16th-century indigenous leader Guayacaipura and the late former president of Venezuela Hugo Chávez.
Nicolas Maduro has been sworn in as Venezuela’s president for the third time in a row. He has been the country’s president for almost 12 years. This is a period marked by deep economic and social crisis.
Maduro was sworn in as president of Venezuela on Friday at the National Assembly in Caracas. He was sworn in in the name of 16th-century indigenous leader Guayacaipouro and the late former Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez, among others.
“My new presidency’s term will be a period of peace, prosperity, equality and new democracy,” he said after taking the oath of office. ”
He promised to form a commission to reform the constitution. “This is possible because Venezuela peacefully fully exercises its national sovereignty, public sovereignty and independence,” he said. ”
About 2,000 guests from 125 countries attended the swearing-in ceremony, the government said. Among them are Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, a close ally of Venezuela, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of Russia’s lower house of parliament.
In a social media post, Bolivian President Luis Arsay “congratulated” Maduro.
Outgoing US President Joe Biden’s administration has increased its proposed reward for Maduro’s arrest from the previous $15 million to $25 million. They issued an arrest warrant for Maduro, accusing him of drug trafficking.
Washington also announced a reward of $25 million for the arrest of Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabeo. Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino has announced a reward of $ 15 million. The United States has also imposed sanctions on the head of Venezuela’s state-owned oil company and eight other officials.
The United States issued these arrest warrants in 2020 against Maduro and other officials in his government, accusing them of drug trafficking and corruption. Maduro and his colleagues have rejected the allegations. They condemned the accusations made by Western countries and the country’s opposition.
Venezuela’s president has called sanctions by the United States and its allies “illegitimate” and “imperialist” and blamed Western countries for his country’s economic collapse.
Maduro has been Venezuela’s president since 2013 for two six-year terms. He was declared the winner by the country’s highest court and electoral authority in July 2024.
Gonzalez left the country for Spain in September after the election. His ally, Maria Corina Machado, is hiding somewhere in Venezuela. Maduro’s government has jailed other top opposition leaders and protesters.
Gonzalez is now on a blistering tour across the two American continents. He has vowed to return to Venezuela. But in a video posted on social media on Friday, Machado appeared and said now was not the right time for him to return home.
The Venezuelan government has accused the opposition of inciting a “fascist” plot. Gonzalez will be arrested when he returns home, they said. Venezuelan authorities have offered a $100,000 reward for Gonzalez’s arrest.