Venezuelan Opposition Calls for Renewed Protests

On Tuesday, January 1st, Venezuelan opposition leaders urged their supporters to prepare for widespread protests against the start of Nicolás Maduro's third six-year presidential term, set to take place on January 10. María Corina Machado, one of the opposition leaders who has gone into hiding following the controversial elections last July, stated in a video message: "The time to return to the streets of Venezuela to demand our victory is near. Get ready, we will join each other in the streets in January." Edmundo González, an opposition candidate currently in exile in Spain, also called on the Venezuelan people to unite in support of him as the "elected president" and to continue protests. Venezuelans took to the streets after Nicolás Maduro was announced as the winner of the July 28 elections, protesting what they termed "fraud." These widespread protests resulted in at least 28 deaths, around 200 injuries, and over 2,400 arrests. While only a few countries, including Russia, have recognized Maduro's victory, the United States, the European Parliament, and the G7 have recognized González Urrutia as the "elected president." González, 75, fled to Spain in September with his wife after being threatened with arrest by Maduro's government. The U.S. has deemed the opposition candidate the victor of the Venezuelan elections; Blinken stated that Maduro's victory was declared "without evidence." Independent UN experts condemned the escalation of repression in Venezuela following the elections. The political crisis after the elections in Venezuela has led González, the opposition candidate, to seek asylum in Spain. Power outages and blackouts have been frequent in Venezuela, with Maduro's government accusing the opposition of "sabotage." Seven EU countries have called on Venezuela to "quickly" publish its electoral documents. Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia are making efforts to persuade Maduro to release the election statistics.