Amid allegations of an unfair poll, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro will be sworn in for a third term on Friday.
The Venezuelan President’s nearly 12 years in office have been marked by a deep economic and social crisis.
His swearing-in would be under the shadow of a six-month-long dispute over a July election and international calls for him to stand aside.
Poll Dispute
Maduro, President since 2013, was declared the winner of July’s election by both Venezuela’s electoral authority and top court, though detailed tallies confirming his victory have never been published.
Venezuela’s opposition says ballot box-level tallies show a landslide win for its former candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, who is recognized as President-elect by several governments including the United States.
International election observers said the vote was unfair.
The months since the election have seen Gonzalez’s flight to Spain in September, his ally Maria Corina Machado going into hiding in Venezuela, and the detentions of high-profile opposition figures and protesters.
Gonzalez has been on a whistle-stop tour of the Americas this week.
He said he will return to Venezuela to take up the mantle of President, but has not shared any details.
The government, which has accused the opposition of fomenting fascist plots against it, has said Gonzalez will be arrested if he returns and offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to his capture.
Investigation By The Attorney General’s Office
Both Gonzalez and Machado are being investigated by the Attorney General’s office for alleged conspiracy, but only Gonzalez has a public warrant out for his arrest.
Machado’s first public appearance since August at an anti-government march in Caracas on Thursday was marred by a brief detention.
“I am now in a safe place and with more determination than ever before to continue with you until the end!” Machado – who was barred from running in the election – said in a post on X after her release.
Repression and Sanctions
The opposition, non-government organizations and international bodies such as the United Nations have for years decried increasing repression of opposition political parties, activists and independent media in Venezuela.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has said the country is being run by a dictator.
Meanwhile, the government has repeatedly accused the opposition of plotting with foreign governments and agencies including the Central Intelligence Agency to commit acts of sabotage and terrorism.
The government said this week that it had detained seven “mercenaries,” including a high-ranking FBI official and a U.S. military official.
State Of Economy
Venezuela’s economy has experienced a prolonged crisis marked by triple-digit inflation and the exodus of more than 7 million migrants seeking better opportunities abroad.
Many of Machado’s supporters, among them retired Venezuelans who would like to see their children and grandchildren return to the country, say jobs, inflation and unreliable public services are among their top concerns.
Use Of Orthodox Methods
The government, meanwhile, has employed orthodox methods to try and tamp down inflation, to some success.
It has blamed economic collapse on sanctions by the United States and others, especially restrictions on the nation’s key oil industry.
Maduro and his allies have cheered what they say is the country’s resilience despite the measures.
The Venezuelan President has said that the economy grew nine per cent last year.
His first act of his new term will be to call for a Constitutional reform, Maduro said on Wednesday.
(With inputs from Reuters)
