The Start of Nicolas Maduro's Second Presidential Term Amidst Intensifying Crisis in Venezuela

Nicolas Maduro began his second presidential term in Venezuela on Thursday with an oath. Many in the international community have called for his resignation, but several of his old domestic and foreign friends attended the ceremony. According to the Associated Press, several Latin American countries and the Canadian government jointly rejected the legitimacy of Maduro's second term, and the U.S. government has also sanctioned several senior officials in Maduro's government. However, Miguel Díaz-Canel, the President of Cuba, Evo Morales, the President of Bolivia, and Anatoly Bibilov, the head of the South Ossetian government, which is a breakaway region from Georgia, were among the foreign guests at the ceremony held in the Supreme Court building in Venezuela. Maduro stated that representatives from 94 countries had sent representatives to participate in this ceremony. Despite Maduro's declining popularity due to severe shortages of essential goods, rampant inflation, and the intensification of the government's autocracy that has led to the emigration of millions of Venezuelans, most poor residents of the slums who receive government subsidies still support Maduro, who came to power after the death of Hugo Chavez. On Thursday, the capital city Caracas was very quiet, but heavy security measures, including checkpoints throughout the city, were evident. The Organization of American States expressed 'deep concern' over the presence of Russian nuclear bombers in Venezuela. State television broadcast the ceremony, and hundreds of senior government officials present in the Supreme Court building cheered Maduro after he took the oath. Maduro's second presidential term begins under conditions where critics accuse him of eliminating many democratic functions of the country's political system. Maduro claims he is not a dictator and has always accused the U.S. government of launching an economic war against Venezuela that has led the country's economy to destruction. In a press conference on Wednesday, he stated, 'Neither in the past, nor now, nor ever will Venezuela be a dictatorship.' The Associated Press adds that Venezuela, rich in oil resources, was one of the wealthiest countries in Latin America. When Hugo Chavez came to power, it produced 3.5 million barrels of oil daily, but its current production is about one million barrels. Critics attribute this situation to financial and political corruption and mismanagement in the state oil company. The collapse of Venezuela's economy has plunged this country of 30 million people into a severe and historic crisis. According to United Nations statistics, due to shortages of food and medicine and rampant inflation in recent years, more than 2.3 million people have emigrated from Venezuela. The majority of those who remain in the country live on an average monthly income of less than $5, which decreases daily. The Venezuelan opposition, which is divided, has so far been unable to counter the complete political power control by the Socialist Party. Maduro's government has imprisoned many opposition leaders or forced them to emigrate. In recent years, the U.S. has intensified pressure on the Venezuelan government through economic sanctions, and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated today that Washington will continue its pressures in support of the Venezuelan people.