- Venezuela's opposition parties and their supporters protested around the country on Thursday in a last-minute effort to put pressure on President Nicolás Maduro, one day before he is sworn in for his third six-year term. .
- Maria Corina Machado, Venezuela's most popular opposition leader, has appeared for the first time since August when she went into hiding in an undisclosed location.
- Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, 62, has been in power since 2013.
Venezuela's opposition parties and their supporters – incl leader Maria Corina Machadowho was in hiding – protested around the country on Thursday in an eleventh-hour effort to put pressure on President Nicolás Maduro, one day before he is due to be sworn in for his third six-year term .
The opposition and the ruling party are locked in an ongoing dispute over last year's presidential election, which both claim to have won.
The country's electoral authority and top court say Maduro, whose tenure in office has been marked by a “serious economic and social crisis”, has won the July elections, although they have not yet I will publish the details.
VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER MARÍA MACHADO HAS AN URGENT MESSAGE FOR PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP.
The government, which has accused the opposition of fomenting opposition plots against it, has said it will arrest opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez if he returns to the country and has detained prominent opposition members and activists in the lead-up to the inauguration.
The opposition says Gonzalez, 75, won by a landslide. It published its poll numbers as proof, winning support from governments around the world, including the United States, which considers Gonzalez the president-elect.
Machado, who is the country's most popular opposition leader but is barred from running in 2024, joined the protest in Chacao east of Caracas at around 2:20 pm local time (18:20 GMT), wearing a white shirt and blue jeans. and waving the Venezuelan flag from the top of the truck.
A Venezuelan opposition supporter reacts as he gathers with fellow supporters ahead of the inauguration of President Nicolas Maduro for a third term, in Caracas, Venezuela, on January 9, 2025. (Reuters/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria)
“They have lost the streets, which are ours, they are blocked in Miraflores (the presidential palace),” Machado told the crowd. “As of today we are in a new phase.”
His appearance marked his first public outing since August when he went into hiding.
Machado, 57, encouraged protesters to fill the streets peacefully and repeatedly called on members of the police and military – who guard polling stations during elections – to support Gonzalez's victory.
“I'm not afraid, I lost my fear a long time ago,” said 70-year-old Neglis Payares, a retired central bank employee, as he gathered with other opposition supporters in western Caracas this morning.
“We don't know how many of them have their hearts on our side,” he added, addressing security forces gathered near the protest.
2 AMERICANS ARRESTED IN VENEZUELA DAYS OF TRIAL FOR 'TERRORISM'
A Reuters witness estimated that around 7,000 people had gathered in Caracas around 2:20 pm local time. In the days after the election, thousands also took to the streets.
Maduro, 62 years old, has been in power since 2013. He has the strong support of the leaders of the military forces and the intelligence services, which are run by close allies of the powerful Minister of the Interior Diosdado Cabello.
“I'm sure nothing will happen,” Cabello said on state television on Monday. But that doesn't mean we'll lower our guard.
Military financial interests make loyalty changes unlikely, said BancTrust, a London-based investment bank, in a letter. It wrote: “A weak military counterinsurgency may pose significant risks to those involved, thereby reducing the incentive to participate.”
'WE HAVE NO JOB'
Security forces set up checkpoints across the country.
In the western oil city of Maracaibo, a mass opposition protest was quickly dispersed by security forces on motorbikes early in the morning. In central Valencia, protesters gathered elsewhere after initially being met with tear gas.
Opposition supporters also gathered in San Cristobal, near the Colombian border, in the western town of Barquisimeto and in the eastern Puerto Ordaz.
“I'm here because we need to get rid of this government. We have no money, we have no work,” 62-year-old housewife Roisa Gomez said at a protest in the central city of Maracay. “I am fighting for my vote, which I did for Edmundo Gonzalez. They will not steal the vote.”
Shortly thereafter, security forces used tear gas to disperse the protesters in Maracay.
Many of the protesters were of retirement age and said they wanted change so that their migrant children and grandchildren could return to the country. More than 7 million Venezuelans live abroad.
The ruling party held opposition rallies across the country, footage of which was broadcast on state television.
“We came out to show that there is democracy. On this side are the patriots who will swear with Nicolas (Maduro), on the other side are the fascists who want to intervene (foreigners), war, sell their country. ,” said Manual Rincon, a 50-year-old Caracas motorcycle taxi driver.
Gonzalez, who was on a trip to the United States this week and met with US President Joe Biden and an adviser chosen by President Donald Trump, repeatedly pledged to return to Venezuela but did not give details of how.
An arrest warrant was issued for Gonzalez on conspiracy charges, which led to his escape in September to Spain.
Machado is being investigated by the attorney general in at least two cases, but no warrant has been released.
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The government has detained several high-profile politicians and activists, including a former presidential candidate. This week, the attorney general's office said it had released more than 1,500 of the 2,000 people, including youths, arrested during the post-election protests.
Venezuelans living abroad also held protests, including in Madrid, where Gonzalez's daughter, Carolina Gonzalez, addressed hundreds of protesters.
“My father is asking you all, praise to the brave people of Venezuela,” he said, his voice breaking.