Maduro takes office as Venezuela's president for the third time

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro officially assumed office for the third time. The inauguration ceremony took place in Caracas on January 10.

"Before the members of Parliament, before the people of Venezuela, on the Constitution, I swear to fulfill all the obligations required of me by this Constitution and the Republic," Maduro said, taking the oath of office, his speech was broadcast on YouTube channel of the Associated Press agency.

The oath of office for the newly elected head of state was taken by the president of Venezuela's parliament, Jorge Rodriguez, who then placed the presidential sash on Maduro and handed him the standard.

Venezuela's president-elect has been in office since April 2013.

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Earlier in the day, the chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin arrived at Maduro's inauguration.

The Venezuelan presidential election was held on July 28, 2024, Maduro won the election with 51.2% of the vote. Speaking to supporters outside the presidential palace, the politician said his success was a "triumph of peace and stability" and it shows that Venezuela's electoral system is "transparent."

The Russian Foreign Ministry on July 29 welcomed the success of the popular will in the Bolivarian Republic, expressing the mood for further cooperation between Moscow and Caracas. In addition, Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Maduro on his victory.

At the same time, some countries refused to recognize the results of the vote in Venezuela. For example, the U.S. authorities officially recognized the victory of the opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, who won 44.2% of the vote. The governments of Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Ecuador demanded a "complete review of the results".