Nicolás Maduro sworn in for disputed third term

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was sworn in for a third six-year presidential term in a ceremony held at the Federal Legislative Palace in Caracas, despite widespread domestic and international controversy over the legitimacy of the election that led to it. The July 2024 presidential contest, which the government-controlled National Electoral Council (CNE) declared Maduro the winner, was heavily criticised for its lack of transparency, refusal to publish detailed voting data, and reported suppression of opposition activity. Opposition leaders and several foreign governments, including the United States, Canada, and many countries in the Americas and Europe, rejected the result and recognised opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia as the rightful winner, arguing the official count did not reflect the will of Venezuelan voters. During the ceremony, Maduro pledged a term of “peace, prosperity, equality and new democracy,” and insisted he would fulfil his constitutional mandate. However, the inauguration occurred amid protests, arrests of opposition figures, and closures of Venezuela’s borders for security reasons, heightening political tensions. Only a handful of allied countries sent representatives, while many democratic governments boycotted the event and maintained sanctions and diplomatic pressure. Maduro’s swearing-in deepened Venezuela’s political crisis and reinforced perceptions of authoritarian drift under his leadership.