Esclusiva

Gennaio 12 2025.
 
Ultimo aggiornamento: Gennaio 24 2025
Maduro’s third term: a struggle for democracy in Venezuela

President sworn, accompanied by criticism and accusations of election fraud

“We had to swear in before the National Assembly and, as always, we did. We respected the Constitution,” said Nicolás Maduro during his swearing-in for his third mandate (2025-2031) as president, amid allegations of fraud. Maduro has served as Venezuela’s head of state since April 19, 2013.

For the recognition of Maduro, “it is a very complicated international situation in the sense that some countries have recognized Gonzalez as the winner, it is mostly Cuba and Nicaragua who are really standing by Venezuela. They have been long-time allies,” says Crystal Whetstone, an assistant professor at Bilkent University who specializes in South Asia and Latin America. She added, “it is very difficult to say that Maduro won.” She said Venezuela has been struggling with a democracy crisis for a long time, and the society is deeply split.

After Maduro’s ceremony, Kaja Kallas, vice president of the Commission and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, stated that Nicolás Maduro lacks “legitimacy.” The European Union also announced that it has approved sanctions against Venezuelan Supreme Court Chief Justice Caryslia Rodríguez and 14 other high-ranking officials due to continued human rights violations and repression of civil society and democratic opposition adding that Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States have also declared new sanctions against senior Venezuelan officials.

Radiotelevisión Española (RTVE) said the Venezuelan government prevented several international media outlets, including RTVE, from covering Maduro’s inauguration. The leader of the party called Vente Venezuela, María Corina Machado said that “Maduro consolidated the coup” and accepted Edmundo González Urrutia as the true winner of the July 28 election.

As Trump assumed office on January 20, the relationship between the United States and Venezuela, like that with many other countries, became uncertain. Speaking about the upcoming relationship between Washington and Caracas, Whetsone remarked: “I can’t even imagine how bad it is going to get, but I think, at the end of the day, the losers are going to be the Venezuelan people—just ordinary, everyday people.”

Conflict after the elections in july

Following the results of the national election held on July 28, 2024 in Venezuela, the National Electoral Council declared Maduro elected with 51% of the vote stating that the other candidate of the Mesa de la Unidad Democrática party, Edmundo González Urrutia obtained 44%. However, according to Unidad’s results, Edmundo González won with 67% of the vote, followed by Maduro with 30%.

Maduro's third term: a struggle for democracy in Venezuela

Venezuelan opponents, already critical of Maduro’s policies, began protesting against the government, and “cacerolazo,” which is a way of protesting by banging pots, pans or other household objects, spread throughout the country. During the protests, nearly 30 people lost their lives due to the crackdown by regime forces, there were hundreds of injured and more than 2,000 detained.

The United States, Peru, and the United Kingdom, claimed that Maduro’s election was illegitimate, arguing that the other candidate of the Mesa de la Unidad Democrática party, Edmundo González Urrutia, had won more votes. Even today, many countries around the world, including Italy, Spain and Colombia, claim not to recognize the proclaimed electoral victory.