President Maduro’s disputed victory ignites protests, global division, and a wave of arrests targeting opposition and foreign agents.
Venezuelan authorities arrested seven foreign nationals, including a senior FBI officer and a U.S. military official, ahead of President Nicolás Maduro’s inauguration for a third term.
Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello also announced the detention of 125 “mercenaries” from 25 countries, including one Israeli and one Argentine, allegedly linked to US-backed destabilisation efforts.
The arrests follow a pattern of security operations since July’s contested election. In October, authorities detained 19 alleged mercenaries, including seven U.S. nationals. The U.S. State Department called claims of Washington’s involvement “categorically false”.
Vote Count Sparks Fury
The contested election results have ignited immediate responses.
Opposition backers marched through Caracas on Thursday, rejecting Maduro’s planned swearing-in. Electoral officials gave Maduro 51.2% of votes. Rival candidate Edmundo González’s team published voting machine receipts they say prove their win. The documents cover over 80% of votes cast and show what González calls a clear victory.
Opposition leader María Corina Machado urged supporters onto the streets, though crowds appeared smaller than pre-election rallies. “Venezuela will be free,” protesters chanted in Caracas’s Chacao district. “I will leave my skin on the asphalt for my children,” Rafael Castillo, 70, told reporters there.
Many stayed home, fearing bloodshed after July’s post-election violence left 28 dead and hundreds wounded.
World Powers Split on Election Result
International reactions to the election crisis in Venezuela diverged widely.
Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua promised Sandinista fighters if needed, referring to his ruling party, pledging military support against “armed counter-revolution.” Bolivia’s Luis Arce praised the vote as the people’s will. Cuba’s Miguel Díaz-Canel hailed a historic victory over “pro-imperialist opposition”.
Russia, China, Belarus, Iran, and more than a dozen other nations backed Maduro’s win. Brazil will send its ambassador to the ceremony, while Mexico plans diplomatic representation. Colombia’s Gustavo Petro won’t attend but keeps ties open through his envoy.
The U.S. supports González. Joe Biden welcomed González to the White House, calling him the rightful winner. González visited Argentina, Uruguay, Panama, and the Dominican Republic seeking backing. From exile in Spain, González vows to return for inauguration day, despite arrest warrants for alleged conspiracy.
Police Round Up Opposition Members
In a series of coordinated operations, authorities have begun targeting key opposition figures and their associates.
Forces took former candidate Enrique Márquez and press advocate Carlos Correa. Masked men grabbed Edmundo González’s son-in-law Rafael Tudares during school drop-off. The UN’s Volker Turk expressed worry about these arrests, noting a pattern of “arbitrary detentions and intimidation”.
Armed militia showed off Russian rifles across Caracas. Maduro formed “Combatant Squads” from state workers to guard sites. He launched an Integral Defence Direction Body joining armed forces, police and militia. Posters offer US$100,000 for González’s capture.
Pro-Government Rallies Build Support
Ahead of his inauguration, Maduro’s supporters planned widespread demonstrations of loyalty across the country. Their own march will go through Caracas, passing through the Housing Ministry, Centro Lido, and other landmarks. In Mérida, Governor Jehyson Guzmán will set up a special tribune in the main square.
The foreign embrace of González may prove a poisoned chalice, as foreign backing feeds into President Maduro’s narrative of defending national sovereignty and allows him to cast the opposition as foreign-backed interlopers rather than authentic voices of domestic dissent.
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