Thousands of people demonstrate in Venezuela in the run-up to President Maduro’s swearing-in

“Today we are a united society, strong, determined and on the streets!” said opposition leader María Corina Machado on X. Machado himself was banned from the ballot last summer. People across the country took to the streets with slogans such as “Honor to the brave people,” as seen in photos on social networks.

The US and several Latin American countries recognize Edmundo Gonzalez as the winner of the election. However, the law-abiding election authority declared President Maduro, who has been in power for almost twelve years, the winner.

Gonzalez fled to Spain in early September and applied for political asylum there. He recently announced that he would return to his home country and would also be sworn in as president of the South American country on Friday. However, an arrest warrant has been issued for him in Venezuela and the government has also mobilized a large contingent of security forces in the Venezuelan capital Caracas in recent days.