Venezuelan president begins third term amid protests

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Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro speaks to supporters on his inauguration day for a third term. Associated Press / Photo by Ariana Cubillos

Venezuelan president begins third term amid protests

Venezuela’s government on Friday swore in President Nicolás Maduro for his third term since he first took office in 2013. The ceremony followed months of protests after a hotly contested summer election in which opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia claimed victory. Nongovernmental organizations and international leaders claimed Maduro’s government attempted to quash opposition groups and have said the election results likely did not represent the votes of the people.

What about Maduro’s opponents? Opposition leader María Corina Machado on Thursday said she was safe after her political party said authorities apprehended her following a protest in Caracas. Meanwhile, González has been in exile since September but has promised to return to Venezuela. United States’ President-elect Donald Trump wrote on social media that the two leaders were peacefully expressing the will of the Venezuelan people.

Dig deeper: Read Josh Schumacher’s report about politicians criticizing Maduro’s government for trying to arrest Gonzalez.

Lauren Canterberry

Lauren Canterberry is a reporter for WORLD. She graduated from the World Journalism Institute and the University of Georgia with a degree in journalism, both in 2017. She worked as a local reporter in Texas and now lives in Georgia with her husband.