SAEDNEWS: The President of Venezuela is an autocrat who has been condemned both domestically and internationally for a questionable election process and voter fraud in his country's most recent elections.
According to SaedNews, Nicolás Maduro, the President of Venezuela, was sworn in for a third term on Friday, January 10.
According to The Economist, Maduro has presided over a severe economic and political collapse in Venezuela, including runaway inflation, power outages, widespread hunger, mass migration, and the disintegration of democracy.
In a report for The New York Times, Julie Turkewitz and Genevieve Glatsky noted that during Friday’s swearing-in ceremony in Caracas, Maduro raised his left hand and declared:
“I swear before history.”
He vowed to lead a new era of peace, prosperity, equality, and democracy.
If Maduro completes his six-year term, his party’s rule will extend into its third decade. Despite millions of Venezuelans voting for change, he returned to Miraflores Palace—the presidential residence—amidst a brutal crackdown, with police and military forces in riot gear occupying the streets of Caracas. Meanwhile, journalists, activists, and opposition leaders were either in prison or under surveillance.
Edmundo González, the man whom the United States and other countries recognize as the rightful winner of the election, remains in exile in Spain. Meanwhile, María Corina Machado, the country’s leading opposition figure, recently emerged from hiding.
On Thursday, January 9, Machado made her first public appearance since August, joining anti-Maduro street protests in Caracas. Standing atop a truck, she addressed thousands of supporters, who risked arrest by chanting:
"Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!"
Shortly after, she was pulled off her motorcycle and briefly detained by members of the National Police, only to be released shortly after.
Despite opposition efforts, widespread protests have been scarce, as Maduro’s security forces continue to intimidate civilians and suppress dissent. González’s supporters had hoped he would return to Venezuela for his inauguration, as he had promised multiple times. However, on Friday, Machado stated that the government had closed Venezuela’s airspace, effectively blocking González’s return indefinitely.
Maduro now faces the possibility that Donald Trump, the incoming U.S. president, will take a harder stance against his regime. Trump’s foreign policy team is filled with Maduro’s adversaries, and new economic sanctions are likely.
In anticipation of this, Maduro has spent the past six months detaining foreign nationals, reportedly to use them as bargaining chips in negotiations with the U.S. and other countries.
According to the watchdog group Foro Penal, since July, Venezuela’s security forces have arrested about 50 foreign nationals from over 12 different countries. Gonzalo Himiob, a co-founder of Foro Penal, stated:
"They are hostages meant to be exchanged."
Maduro seeks the lifting of U.S. sanctions, which have significantly impacted Venezuela’s economy. He also wants international recognition and other policy concessions. Venezuelan officials claim to be holding at least nine U.S. citizens or residents, with some accused of plotting to assassinate Maduro.
The U.S. has no diplomatic presence in Venezuela, and a State Department official admitted that the government has no knowledge of the whereabouts of the detained Americans.
The families of three detained U.S. citizens say they have had no contact with their loved ones for months.
One of them, David Estrella, a 64-year-old father of five, entered Venezuela from Colombia on September 9. His wife, Elvia Macías (44), confirmed this, describing her husband as an optimistic adventurer who had visited Venezuela before and believed the situation wasn’t as bad as it seemed. She added:
"This situation has devastated our lives."
Maduro’s socialist movement has ruled Venezuela since 1999, when his predecessor Hugo Chávez took power. In July’s election, Maduro faced his toughest challenge yet. After banning Machado from running, González, a former diplomat, stepped in as the opposition candidate.
Despite the increasing crackdown, many Venezuelans defied security forces to show their support for González. After the election, the opposition collected and published thousands of vote tallies online, proving that González had won decisively. However, Maduro declared victory, a claim that independent observers rejected.
The United States recognizes González as the legitimate winner, and even leftist allies of Maduro, such as Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, have distanced themselves from him.
Some analysts believe Maduro is detaining foreigners to leverage negotiations with the U.S.. In 2022 and 2023, the U.S. reached deals with Venezuela, exchanging high-ranking Venezuelan allies of Maduro for detained Americans.
Historically, U.S. policy was to never negotiate with hostage-takers, fearing that it would encourage more kidnappings. Critics argue that this led to tragic outcomes, such as the 2014 murder of American journalist James Foley by ISIS.
However, in recent years, Washington has shown more willingness to engage in hostage negotiations. Some U.S. officials worry that this will embolden Maduro to continue taking hostages.
Tom Shannon, a former senior official in both the Obama and Trump administrations, warned that Maduro is learning from recent high-profile hostage swaps, such as those involving Russia. He argued that the U.S. should impose greater costs on hostage-takers to make it clear that this strategy will not work in the future.
The Trump transition team declined to comment on potential future hostage negotiations.
Meanwhile, anti-Maduro protests in Caracas continued on Thursday, despite violent crackdowns by security forces. Many demonstrations have ended in bloodshed, with protesters killed in clashes with Maduro’s forces.
