Headline Roundup • January 13th, 2025
Venezuela's Maduro Begins Third Term, US Offers $25M for His Arrest
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was sworn in for his third term on Friday despite unresolved disputes over the presidential election in July and increased sanctions from the U.S., Britain, and the European Union.
The Details: In July, Maduro declared himself the winner of the election without disclosing vote counts. The opposition collected ballots from electronic voting machines and declared their candidate, Edmundo González, won by a landslide. Independent election monitors, including the U.S.-based Carter Center, said the opposition's results were credible. As such, the U.S. and others recognized González as the president-elect. Maduro has cracked down on the opposition, detaining high-profile leaders, while González has traveled, including meeting with President Biden, to rally support and pressure Maduro.
For Context: On Friday, the U.S. imposed sanctions on eight Venezuelan officials and increased the reward for arresting Maduro to $25 million. Maduro faces U.S. drug trafficking charges. He has rejected the sanctions by the U.S. and Europe, saying they amount to “economic war.” On Monday, Venezuela's foreign minister accused the opposition of being linked to damages at the country’s diplomatic facilities in five nations.
How The Media Covered It: The Guardian (Left bias) referred to Maduro as an “authoritarian president” and the Daily Wire (Right) referred to him as a “socialist dictator.” Reuters (Center) and Reason (Center) only described Maduro as the president and detailed his actions. The Daily Wire also highlighted Hezbollah's support of the Maduro regime.
Featured Coverage of this Story
Venezuela’s authoritarian president, Nicolás Maduro, has been accused of a shameless and fraudulent power-grab after swearing himself in for a third term, despite domestic outrage and a chorus of international condemnation at his alleged theft of last year’s election.
“This is a great victory for Venezuelan democracy,” the 62-year-old autocrat boasted during a sparsely attended oath-taking ceremony in Caracas that was boycotted by the leaders of democratic nations.
As Maduro extended his 12-year rule, the US announced a $65m bounty for his arrest and those of two close allies on international...
Venezuelan socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro, who has presided over the ruination of his country, will likely be inaugurated again as president on Friday despite evidence of having lost a July election to retired diplomat Edmundo González Urrutia and opposition mounting.
Meanwhile, Maduro has been brutalizing the opposition. “The regime arrested more than 2,000 dissidents after the July election controversy triggered mass demonstrations,” The Wall Street Journal reported. “This week, regime forces arrested González’s son-in-law, Rafael Tudares, along with Carlos Correa, who is one of Venezuela’s most prominent advocates for freedom of...
Reason
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was sworn in for a controversial third term on Friday, despite unresolved disputes over the July presidential election and international pressure for him to step down. "The power granted to me by the Constitution has not been given to me by a foreign government or a gringo government," Maduro declared in his inauguration speech. "I have not been placed by the oligarchy. I come from the people. The power I represent belongs to the people and I owe it to the people." The election results from...
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