Mexico Metropolis, Mexico — Nicolás Maduro was sworn in for a 3rd time period as president of Venezuela on Friday, following an election in July that was deemed fraudulent by his political opposition and worldwide electoral observers.
Throughout Latin America, leaders, from the left and proper of the political spectrum, have been divided between diplomacy and disavowal. His staunch allies, together with Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canal and Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega, attended his inauguration ceremony, whereas different Latin American leaders didn’t attend or despatched emissaries of their place.
After July’s disputed election end result, Maduro’s authorities fiercely cracked down on dissent, throwing opposition members and atypical protesters in jail. Opposition chief Maria Corina Machado went into hiding for a lot of the previous six months, and the opposition’s presidential candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, was pressured to flee to Spain. The crackdown drew outrage from many political leaders round Latin America.
Right here’s a have a look at how completely different LatAm leaders reacted to Maduro’s inauguration on January 10.
Colombia
For Colombia, Venezuela’s outstanding neighbor sharing 1,380 miles of border, Maduro’s reelection and the violent repression of civilians opposing his regime was confronted with the repudiation of Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who got here out and criticized the electoral outcomes that secured Maduro’s victory.
“The latest elections in Venezuela weren’t free. There are not any free elections underneath blockades,” wrote Petro by way of his X account.
“We can not acknowledge elections that weren’t free, and we hope that they are often held quickly with out blockades or inside intimidation … “Staying in energy and giving freely oil appears to be the proposal of varied factions of U.S. politics. In my private case, I’ll by no means settle for such a proposal,” stated Petro.
Nevertheless, Petro asserted that his authorities received’t break diplomatic relations with Maduro’s Venezuela.
Chile
In Chile, the self-proclaimed leftist chief, Gabriel Boric, was as adamant in opposition to Maduro’s inauguration as Petro, additionally chiding the Venezuelan electoral course of and slamming Maduro for his undemocratic and repressive actions in opposition to political dissidents.
“I’m an individual of the left, and from the political left, I say: the federal government of Nicolás Maduro is a dictatorship, and we should make all worldwide efforts to revive the rule of regulation and democracy. All efforts to make sure that the folks of Venezuela have the correct to determine their very own future are the place of the federal government of Chile, which we’ve defended from the start and can proceed to uphold,” he stated throughout a press convention forward of Maduro’s inauguration ceremony.
Mexico
In accordance with its non-interventionist overseas coverage, Mexican chief Claudia Sheinbaum took a extra diplomatic stance, refraining from upholding Maduro’s disputed victory, nor that of Gonzalez Urrutia, who many LatAm leaders have known as the rightful winner of July’s election.
“We defend our overseas coverage primarily based on the sovereignty of the Venezuelan folks. They’re those who should determine; there ought to be no intervention in any kind, nevertheless it have to be the folks of Venezuela who determine,” she stated throughout her morning briefing on Friday.
But, Sheinbaum condemned any type of political violence used in opposition to civilians.
“Anyway, we’ve by no means been in favor of the criminalization of a political place. We don’t agree with it, however after all, we respect, evidently, the sovereignty of the peoples,” she added.
Uruguay
The federal government of the outgoing President of Uruguay, Luis Lacalle Pou, has at all times been a vocal opponent of Maduro. Within the face of Maduro’s reelection, the Uruguayan authorities issued a press release labeling Venezuela as an authoritarian regime.
“In the present day is a somber day for Latin America and all of the peoples of the worldwide neighborhood who defend and imagine in democratic values,” opened the press launch issued by the Uruguayan International Ministry.
The newly elected President Yamandú Orsi, labeled as a leftist and progressive, has additionally condemned Maduro regardless of being congratulated by Maduro himself for his latest election.
“It’s not a democracy, it’s an authoritarian regime and, if you’ll, a dictatorship. I don’t relativize it, it’s completely different from what we have been accustomed to. One mustn’t converse flippantly as a result of what is going on on this planet may be very complicated,” said then candidate Orsi in an interview in October 2024.
Brazil
Beforehand criticized for his softer stance towards, and at some occasions even help of Maduro, the chief of Latin America’s largest economic system, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, has modified his angle relating to the Venezuelan authorities for the reason that 2024 elections.
Holding the momentary presidency of BRICS, the worldwide bloc composed of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, Lula was the decisive vote that prevented Venezuela from becoming a member of the group, which put Lula at odds with different members corresponding to Russia, who criticized Lula’s choice to shun Venezuela from BRICS.
Subsequent to Mexico and Colombia, Brazil was one of many few Latin American leaders who pushed for a diplomatic finish to the political disaster derived from the overall elections by urging Maduro to provide the voting information that confirmed his victory.
The demand was met with apathy from the Maduro regime.
Peru
The Peruvian authorities of Dina Boluarte, who was amongst the primary to reject Venezuela’s electoral leads to 2024, reasserted its stance opposing Maduro. Via a press launch, Peru’s management slammed Maduro’s reelection.
“The federal government of Peru regrets and rejects that Nicolás Maduro has fraudulently assumed the presidency of Venezuela. The Peruvian authorities doesn’t acknowledge him as president,” read the assertion.
Boluarte herself got here to energy after former President Pedro Castillo was arrested for making an attempt to dissolve Congress in December 2022, in what his political opposition calls an tried coup.
Cuba
Amongst Maduro’s iron-clad supporters, the President of Cuba, Miguel Díaz Canel, was amongst the only real Latin American leaders to attend Maduro’s inauguration ceremony and to overtly uphold the lawfulness of his reelection. The Caribbean island can also be a topic of U.S. diplomatic and financial pressures and has been an plain ally of Maduro’s.
“We’re already in Venezuela, homeland of the courageous folks of Simón Bolívar, Hugo Chávez, and Nicolás Maduro. We stand with this nation’s legit president on the time of his oath, which is the birthplace of independence in our America. Right here is Cuba, brother Nicolás.”
