Nicolás Maduro was sworn in for a controversial third six-year term as Venezuela's president on January 10, amid widespread international condemnation and fresh sanctions from Western nations over claims of electoral fraud.

The inauguration, held in a small room of the National Assembly rather than its main hall, was notably subdued compared to previous ceremonies. The government claimed 2,000 invitees from 125 countries attended, though only two authoritarian heads of state − Cuba's Miguel Diaz-Canel and Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega − were present, highlighting Maduro's growing isolation on the world stage.

The United States marked the occasion by increasing its reward for information leading to Maduro's arrest from $15mn to $25mn, while announcing new sanctions against eight senior Venezuelan officials. Similar rewards of $25mn for Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and $15mn for Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino were also announced. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared the inauguration "illegitimate," stating that Maduro "clearly lost" the July 2024 election.

The disputed July vote has become a focal point of international criticism. While Venezuela's National Electoral Council (CNE) declared Maduro the winner, it failed to provide detailed vote counts to support the result. The opposition, led by former diplomat Edmundo González, released tally sheets from 85 per cent of electronic voting machines showing their candidate won by a more than two-to-one margin – data subsequently validated by UN experts and the Carter Center.

González, who fled to Spain in September following threats of arrest, has been recognised as president-elect by several Western nations. Currently in the Dominican Republic as part of a tour of the Americas, González has maintained his claim to the presidency while acknowledging that conditions for his return to Venezuela are not yet viable. The Maduro regime has offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to his capture.

Opposition leader María Corina Machado, who had been in hiding since August, emerged on January 9 to join an anti-government protest in Caracas. She later claimed she was briefly detained by regime-aligned authorities after leaving the rally, saying she was forced to record videos – whose details remain unclear – before being released. The government promptly denied any involvement, dismissing the incident as an opposition attempt to garner sympathy.

"Through a video recorded by María Corina Machado herself, she denies her alleged detention and stressed that she is well and safe, after participating in Thursday’s march in Caracas. The truth was that she ran out of gas and police officers had to help her," said pro-regime network Telesur, which immediately posted the footage on YouTube.

As the swearing-in ceremony took place, the European Union and United Kingdom joined the US in announcing fresh sanctions against Venezuelan officials. The EU targeted 15 individuals from the National Electoral Council, judiciary and security forces, with Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas stating that Maduro "lacks all democratic legitimacy," while the UK sanctioned officials it accused of undermining democracy and human rights.

"Maduro's claim to power is fraudulent," said UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy. "The outcome of July's elections was neither free nor fair and his regime does not represent the will of the Venezuelan people."

Meanwhile, US President-elect Donald Trump weighed in on the developments with a post on Truth Social, describing Machado and Gonzalez as "freedom fighters that should not be harmed, and MUST stay SAFE and ALIVE!"

During the ceremony, 62-year-old Maduro struck a defiant tone, comparing himself to a biblical David fighting Goliath. He vowed his new term would be "a period of peace, prosperity, equality and new democracy." He dismissed international criticism, saying: "I have not been made president by the government of the United States, nor by the pro-imperialist governments of Latin America. I come from the people, and my power emanates from history and from the people."

The political crisis has deepened since the election, with more than 2,000 people arrested during and after the civil unrest that followed. The NGO Foro Penal reported that 42 people had been detained for political reasons last week alone. UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for the release of all those "arbitrarily detained" since the elections.

Earlier last week, Venezuelan authorities claimed to have apprehended seven foreign nationals, including a purported FBI agent and another American, in an alleged terrorism plot ahead of Maduro's inauguration. The group, which allegedly included Colombian "hitmen" and Ukraine war veterans, was arrested amid rising tensions over the incumbent’s contested election victory. The government provided no evidence to support these allegations.

Venezuela's deep-rooted economic troubles continue to plague the nation. Despite government claims of 9 per cent growth last year and some success in tempering inflation, the oil-rich country still grapples with triple-digit inflation, chronic mismanagement and the exodus of more than 7mn citizens seeking better opportunities abroad, mostly fleeing to the US.

The ceremony concluded with a separate military parade where Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino led members of the armed forces in pledging complete loyalty to Maduro, underscoring the crucial role of military support in maintaining his grip on power. In a show of regional tension, Venezuela closed its borders and airspace to Colombia for 72 hours starting January 10 morning.

While Russia, Maduro’s most important ally on the international stage represented by Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, conveyed President Vladimir Putin's congratulations, traditional leftist allies, including Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, were notably absent from the proceedings. The day after the inauguration, Maduro met with former Honduran President Manuel Zelaya and delegates from Serbia, China, and Russia at the Miraflores Palace, emphasising his efforts to maintain international alliances despite growing isolation from Western democracies.

“Courageous leaders of the multilateral world, it was a pleasure to welcome you to our beloved country. Let us continue to move forward together for the development and peace of our nations,” he wrote in a Telegram post.

For many Venezuelans, the atmosphere remains tense. As one Latin American diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, told CNN: "They are showing they are not going to tolerate any dissent, and people are scared." The coming months, and Washington’s next moves under the incoming Trump administration, may prove crucial in determining whether Maduro can maintain his grip on power in the face of mounting international pressure and domestic dissatisfaction.