Thursday was marked by mass marches and a confusing high-profile kidnapping in Venezuela, the same day Canada recognized opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia as the country's rightful president.
Gonzalez remains in exile in Spain while Venezuela's de facto ruler Nicolas Maduro continues to occupy the presidential palace in Miraflores, claiming his party won the July 28 elections last year.
On Monday, Gonzalez met with US President Joe Biden in the Oval Office. After the meeting, Biden posted on social media that Gonzalez was the “real winner” of last year's election and that the country deserved a peaceful transfer of power.
The next day, Gonzalez announced that his son-in-law, Rafael Tudares, had been kidnapped by hooded men as he walked his two young children to school.
It was one of what appeared to be a new wave of arrests as the Venezuelan opposition renewed its campaign to oust Maduro's authoritarian, socialist government.
A leader emerges from hiding
Presidential candidate Gonzalez, who traveled to the Dominican Republic today to seek further international support, is not the leader of the Venezuelan opposition. Rather, he is a placeholder candidate for the real leader, Maria Corina Machado, who has been banned from running for office by the Maduro government's courts.
Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly spoke with Machado by phone on Wednesday. Shortly afterwards, she posted on Twitter: statement which formally recognized Gonzalez as the legitimate president of Venezuela.
Canada has previously expressed disbelief at the official results announced by Maduro's government in last year's elections, but has not yet taken a step toward recognizing Maduro's rival as the winner.
Gonzalez went into exile shortly after the Maduro regime responded to the elections with a wave of arrests and repression, but Machado remained in the country and spent much of the last six months in hiding.
A confusing kidnapping in broad daylight
On Wednesday, Machado suggested she would return to the public eye as the opposition prepares a new campaign of street protests demanding respect for the election results. The opposition intended to protest against Maduro's swearing in for a third six-year term as president, which will take place on Friday at the National Assembly in Caracas.
In recent days, Maduro has become involved in shows of strength apparently intended to discourage opposition protests.
Today, Machado came out of hiding become the main character of a big rally in the Chacao neighborhood of Caracas, but as she was leaving the scene, she appeared to be stopped by men on motorcycles.
Machado is often surrounded by dozens or even hundreds of supporters on motorcycles to protect her from government kidnap squads, but in this case the opposition found it unable to protect her and one of her motorcycle escorts was injured by fired shots.
The detention sparked outrage among the Venezuelan opposition and its supporters around the world, including: He calls Poilievrewife of the leader of Canada's official opposition.
Released from custody
Within two hours of arrest, a video on social media Machado appeared to be saying she had been released and was safe.
However, the video was not published on Machado's account or other opposition channels, and some expressed doubts about its authenticity.
By late afternoon, Machado's party, Vente Venezuela, issued a ruling statement confirming her release.
“They took her by force,” the statement said. “During the period of the kidnapping, she was forced to record several videos and was later released. “He will address the country in the coming hours and explain the situation.”
There has been speculation in opposition circles that the kidnapping and quick release may reflect divisions between hardliners and moderates in the Chavista government over how to deal with Machado and the protests.