Maduro meets with State Duma Speaker Volodin after inauguration

President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro after the inauguration ceremony held a meeting with Chairman of the State Duma (GD) Vyacheslav Volodin. This was reported by the press service of the State Duma on January 11.

"Volodin conveyed to Nicolas Maduro from Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulations on his election victory and assumption of office as head of state, as well as good wishes for successful work for the benefit of the citizens of the republic," the lower house of the Federal Assembly informed in its Telegram channel.

He noted that as international observers, the deputies of the State Duma followed the process of the Venezuelan elections, which, despite "unprecedented pressure from the United States and countries supporting Washington," were held "in a competitive struggle and were legitimate."

In addition, at the meeting the politicians discussed further development of relations between Russia and Venezuela, particularly at the parliamentary level.

"You are doing a lot to develop the parliamentary dimension. This is important for us to better understand each other," Vyacheslav Volodin announced.

Standing in the long term: Maduro became president of Venezuela for the third time

Vyacheslav Volodin delivered Vladimir Putin's congratulations to the Latin American leader at the inauguration ceremony

Earlier in the day, Maduro officially assumed the presidency for the third time. The inauguration ceremony took place in Caracas.

On the eve of the Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin arrived in Venezuela for the inauguration of Maduro.

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 shows that Venezuela's electoral system is "transparent."

The Russian Foreign Ministry on July 29 welcomed the successful holding of the popular will in the Bolivarian Republic, expressing the mood for further cooperation between Moscow and Caracas. In addition, 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".