Venezuelan President Maduro defies calls to step down and is sworn in for a third term

Venezuelan President Nicolas Madurowhose nearly 12-year rule was marked by a deep economic and social crisis, was sworn in for a third term on Friday, despite a six-month-long electoral dispute, international calls for him to step aside and a surge in the United States. A reward was offered for his capture.

The two parties declared Maduro, who has been president since 2013, the winner of the July elections. Venezuela The electoral authority and the Supreme Court, although detailed statistics confirming his victory were never published.

The Venezuelan opposition said that the results of the vote counting at the ballot box level showed a landslide victory for its former candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, who was recognized by several countries, including the United States, as president-elect. International election observers said the vote was not democratic.

The months following the election saw Gonzalez flee to Spain in September, his ally Maria Corina Machado go into hiding in Venezuela, and the arrest of prominent opposition figures and protesters.

In the latest in a series of punitive steps, the outgoing Biden administration increased its reward for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Maduro on drug trafficking charges to $25 million, from $15 million previously.

It also issued a $25 million reward to Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and a $15 million reward to Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino, in addition to new sanctions on eight other officials including the head of state oil company PDVSA, Hector Obregon.

The United States indicted Maduro and others on drug and corruption charges, among other charges, in 2020. Maduro has rejected the charges.

The American move coincided with sanctions imposed by Britain and the European Union, each targeting 15 officials, including members of the National Electoral Council and security forces, and Canadian sanctions targeting 14 current and former officials.

Maduro’s government has long rejected all sanctions, saying they are illegitimate measures that amount to an “economic war” aimed at paralyzing Venezuela.

“The outgoing United States government does not know how to take revenge on us,” Maduro said during his inauguration speech, without directly mentioning the sanctions.

The Venezuelan Ministry of Communications did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the sanctions.

Maduro and his allies have praised what they say is the country’s resilience despite the measures, though they have historically blamed some economic difficulties and shortages on sanctions.

Gonzalez, who is on a whirlwind tour of the Americas this week, said he would return to Venezuela to take over as president, but did not provide details.

The government, which accused the opposition of inciting fascist plots against it, said it would arrest Gonzalez if he returned and offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.

Both opposition leaders Gonzalez and Machado are expected to speak later on Friday.

Both are being investigated by the District Attorney’s Office for alleged conspiracy, but Gonzalez is the only one who has a general warrant for his arrest.

Machado’s first public appearance since August at an anti-government rally in Caracas on Thursday was marred by a brief arrest.

Her political movement, Fente Venezuela, said shots were fired and Machado fell from the motorcycle on which she was leaving the event. She added that she was then detained and forced to film several video clips.

One video shared on social media and by government officials showed her sitting on the sidewalk and recounting the loss of her wallet.

The government mocked the incident and denied any involvement.

The non-governmental judicial organization Foro Penal said that about 42 people had been arrested for political reasons since Tuesday.

Maduro took the oath before the National Assembly in Caracas, saying he was swearing in the name of 16th-century indigenous leader Guaycayburu and the late President Hugo Chavez, his mentor, and others.

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“I hope that this new presidential period will be a period of peace, prosperity, equality and a new democracy,” Maduro said, adding that he would convene a committee dedicated to constitutional reform.

Maduro said: “This action is possible because Venezuela is a peaceful country, exercising its full national sovereignty, popular sovereignty and national independence.”

The opening ceremony was attended by about 2,000 invitees from 125 countries, according to the government.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel and Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, loyal allies of Maduro, attended, as did Vyacheslav Volodin, Speaker of the Russian Parliament’s lower house.

The Foreign Ministry in Bogota said in a statement that Venezuela closed its borders and airspace to Colombia for 72 hours, starting at 0500 local time (1000 GMT), adding that the border on the Colombian side will remain open.

The opposition, non-governmental organizations and international bodies such as the United Nations have for years denounced the increasing repression of opposition political parties, activists and independent media in Venezuela.

US President-elect Donald Trump said that the country is run by a dictator.

At the same time, the government repeatedly accused the opposition of conspiring with foreign governments and agencies, including the CIA, to commit acts of sabotage and terrorism.

The government said this week it had arrested seven “mercenaries,” including a high-ranking FBI official and a US military official.

The Venezuelan economy witnessed a long-term crisis characterized by triple-digit inflation and the exodus of more than 7 million migrants in search of better opportunities abroad.

Many of Machado’s supporters, including retired Venezuelans who want to see their children and grandchildren return to the country, say jobs, inflation and unreliable public services are among their top concerns.

At the same time, the government has used traditional methods to try to reduce inflation, with some success. Maduro said this month that the economy grew by 9% last year.

About 2,000 people were arrested in the post-election protests. The government said this week that it had released 1,515 of them.

Gonzalez, 75, said his brother-in-law was kidnapped on Tuesday while he was taking his children to school.

-Reporting by Oliver Griffin and Julia Sims Cobb in Bogota, Matt Spetalnick in Washington, and Mariana Parraja and Gary McWilliams in Houston Writing by Oliver Griffin and Julia Sims Cobb Editing by Daniel Wallis and Alistair Bell