Standing in the long term: Maduro became president of Venezuela for the third time
Amid opposition protests and further Western sanctions, Nicolas Maduro began his third six-year presidential term on January 10. The inauguration ceremony was attended by representatives of more than 120 countries. Cuban leader Miguel Diaz-Canel and Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega came to personally support Maduro. Congratulations on re-election from Vladimir Putin Maduro was conveyed by the Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Vyacheslav Volodin. However, the victory of the Venezuelan politician was not accepted by most countries of North and South America, as well as the EU: they see the representative of the opposition Edmundo Gonzalez as the elected president.
Nicolas Maduro will remain in power in Venezuela until 2031
On January 10, the third six-year presidential term for Nicolas Maduro began. The Venezuelan leader arrived for the inauguration ceremony at the Federal Legislative Palace building at 10:30 a.m., accompanied by his wife Celia Flores. Maduro was greeted outside the building by a noisy crowd carrying Venezuelan flags and placards in support of the president-elect.
Russian State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin (left) and Venezuelan National Assembly Speaker Jorge Rodriguez (right) in Caracas, Venezuela, January 10, 2025.
Delegations from more than 120 countries came to congratulate Nicolas Maduro. Russia was represented at the ceremony by the Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin, who personally conveyed to Maduro words of support from Vladimir Putin. At the presidential level, Cuba - Miguel Diaz-Canel arrived in Caracas on the morning of January 10 and Nicaragua - Daniel Ortega sat next to the Russian politician at the ceremony.
Maduro took the oath of office, after which the president of parliament tied him the ribbon of the head of state and handed him the standard of the country's president. In his speech, Maduro promised that his new presidential term would be a period of peace, equality and democracy. He also noted that with his policies he will seek to give impetus to the creation of a new multipolar world.
- Nicolas Maduro's new term will be aimed at strengthening cooperation with the BRICS countries, particularly Russia and China. Domestic policy will focus on the development of the economy, which was seriously affected by the era of the unipolar world," says Egor Lidovskoy, director of the Hugo Chavez Latin American Center.
According to the expert, we should not expect any radical changes in Maduro's political positions, which is generally good for Russia, for which Caracas is one of the main strategic partners in the Latin American region.
Russia cooperates with Venezuela in the military-technical field, there are joint projects in medicine and oil and gas industry. In addition, there is a stable trade turnover between Moscow and Caracas: the countries have managed to build a system of direct mutual settlements, and some payments are already made in rubles. One of the promising areas for cooperation and investment is tourism. Air transportation between Russia and Venezuela is expanding, and it is already possible to pay with the Mir card in the republic.
Venezuela had hoped to join BRICS at the summit in Kazan last October under the Russian presidency, but according to the media, this did not happen because of the position of Brazil, one of the founders of the association. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva does not recognize Maduro's election victory. And the presidency of BRICS in 2025 just passed to Brazil, so Caracas should probably not expect to join.
On January 10, Brazil was represented at the inauguration ceremony at the ambassador level. The inauguration was completely ignored by the EU countries - such a decision was collectively made at the end of last year. Delegations from most Latin American countries did not come to the ceremony. Among them were Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Peru and Panama. There were no representatives from the United States either.
While Nicolas Maduro was addressing the invited delegations, Washington had already announced an increase in the fee for assisting in the arrest of the Venezuelan leader. The State Department is promising $25 million for information that will allow the arrest of Maduro, the Latin American state's Interior, Justice and Peace Minister Diosdado Cabello. In addition, the Americans promise up to $15 million for similar information on Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino. The States also imposed a number of personal sanctions against politicians of the Bolivarian Republic.
A little later, the extension of restrictions was also announced in Brussels. With the inclusion in the sanctions lists of 15 members of the national electoral council of Venezuela, the judiciary and security forces, the number of individuals from Venezuela under EU restrictions increased to 69. The restrictions include entry bans and asset freezes. The imposition of sanctions against high-ranking officials was announced in the UK and Canada.
The risk of protests remains in Venezuela
By the time of the inauguration, the government of Nicolas Maduro had still not presented the results of the counting of 100% of ballots and had not published the protocols for each polling station. This gives the opposition grounds to claim that the election results were rigged, and the real winner, in their opinion, is the opponent of the current government, Edmundo Gonzalez.
It is him that most of the countries of North and South America, as well as almost all European countries consider the official winner. The oppositionist himself left Venezuela for fear of reprisals and received political asylum in Spain. At the same time throughout the time he assured his supporters that on January 10 he would again be in Caracas and take the presidential oath.
Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez (left) meets with U.S. President Joe Biden (right) at the White House in Washington, U.S., January 6, 2025
In early January, Gonzalez embarked on a tour of the Americas. Seeking international support, he met with Javier Milieu and U.S. President Joe Biden, among others. Donald Trump has already expressed, too, that he would recognize the opposition figure as Venezuela's president.
Ahead of Inauguration Day, Venezuelan authorities announced a $100,000 reward for information on Gonzalez's whereabouts and effectively made it impossible for him to return. Posters with photos of Gonzalez and the amount of the promised bonus are posted in all public places, even in airports. He is also unlikely to enter the country through other states by land undetected. Caracas announced the closure of its over 2,000-kilometer-long land border with Colombia, as well as the suspension of air service with that country until January 13, citing "internal reasons." The land border with Brazil was also closed, Venezuelan media reported.
While the return of Edmundo Gonzalez to Venezuela remains in great doubt, the leader of the opposition bloc Maria Corina Machado (she was unable to participate in the elections because of allegations of corruption) continues to mobilize those who disagree with the re-election of Maduro.
Mass protests were held not only in Caracas, but also in front of Venezuelan embassies in other countries. On the eve of the inauguration, Machado appeared in public for the first time in a long time during a demonstration in the capital. The opposition leader was arrested the same day, but was still released a few hours later.
- A lot of money has been invested in overthrowing Maduro, so I expect subversive groups inside the country to intensify their work. However, Maduro has the army on his side and the support of the majority of the people by whom he was elected. In general, the threat from the US is roughly similar to 2019 of Guaido's time, but on Maduro's side is the fact that during this period he has largely managed to reduce galloping inflation to double digits," says Egor Lidovskoy.
Shortly after the inauguration ceremony ended, the metallic sounds of clanging pots could be heard in various neighborhoods of Caracas, a form of protest that some residents have chosen without leaving their homes. However, after police officers on motorcycles drove through the streets, the rumbling stopped.
After the inauguration ceremony, Machado, already truthful in a video message on social media, thanked Venezuelans for participating in the Jan. 9 demonstrations. She called Maduro's inauguration a "coup d'état" and urged supporters to take to the streets again. But it is important to emphasize that even though the opposition has international support, it is still not enough to overthrow the government in Caracas, where the army is one of the key pillars of Nicolas Maduro's power.
