Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was sworn in for a third six-year presidential term on Friday, remaining in power despite a six-month dispute over the results of the presidential elections that took place in July, amid American condemnation of international calls for him to step down.
Venezuela’s Electoral Commission and Supreme Court declared Maduro, who has been president since 2013, the winner, although the detailed results confirming his victory were never published. Madur’s rule, which lasted for nearly 12 years, was characterized by a deep economic and social crisis.
The Venezuelan opposition said, “The results of the vote counting at the ballot box level showed a landslide victory for its candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, who was recognized by a number of governments, including the United States, as president-elect.” International election observers said the elections were not fair.
For years, the opposition, non-governmental organizations and international bodies, including the United Nations, have denounced the increasing repression against opposition political parties, activists and independent media in Venezuela.
In turn, the United States on Friday condemned the inauguration of Nicolas Maduro as President of Venezuela for a third term, and imposed new sanctions on Caracas, raising the reward for providing any information leading to the trial of the Venezuelan president to $25 million.
A statement by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken issued shortly after Maduro was sworn in said, “The Venezuelan people and the world know the truth. It is clear that Maduro lost the 2024 presidential elections and has no right to demand the presidency.”
Blinken described the ceremony as an “illegitimate presidential inauguration,” reaffirming Washington’s position, which considers opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia to be the president-elect.
Blinken said, “The maximum financial rewards allocated to those who provide information leading to the arrest or prosecution of Maduro, as well as Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, have been raised to $25 million.”
He also announced a new financial reward of $15 million for anyone who provides information leading to the arrest or trial of Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez.
The three financial rewards were allocated against the backdrop of American drug smuggling charges announced in March 2020, two years after Maduro was elected for a second term in an election whose results were not recognized by the United States.
In a separate statement, the US Treasury announced the imposition of sanctions on eight officials who lead “key economic and security agencies that enable Nicolas Maduro to suppress and subvert democracy in Venezuela.”
These include high-ranking officials from the army and police, and the heads of the state-owned oil company and the national airline.
“Since last year’s elections, Maduro and his cronies have continued their repressive actions in Venezuela,” said Bradley Smith, acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.
He added that the United States and its partners “stand in solidarity” with the Venezuelan people as they vote and choose a new leadership for the country.
The Venezuelan government has long accused the opposition of conspiring with foreign governments and bodies, including the US Central Intelligence Agency, to commit acts of sabotage and terrorism.
The government stated this week that it had arrested seven people it described as “mercenaries,” including a senior official in the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and an American military official.
Maduro said on Wednesday, “His first decision in his new term will be to call for constitutional reform, but he did not provide any details.”
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