On the eve of President Nicolas Maduro’s inauguration, Venezuelan opposition politician María Corina Machado was detained. At 3:21 p.m. local time, Machado’s press team said that security forces intercepted her convoy. But, in the coming hour, a 20-second video of Machado emerged online where she said she was merely followed after the rally—the video was later claimed to be coerced.
At the same time, Maduro’s supporters denied Machado had been detained, many asserting that government opponents were trying to spread fake news and generate an international crisis.
The issue comes after Venezuelan loyalists banned Machado from running against Maduro last year. To counter, she had backed retired diplomat Edmundo González, who ultimately went on to beat Maduro by a more than two-to-one margin according to opposition voting records.
The government has since arrested more than 2,000 people who it claims have been plotting to oust Maduro. Venezuela’s National Electoral Council, stacked with government loyalists, declared Maduro the winner of the election. But unlike in previous contests, authorities did not provide any access to voting records or precinct-level results.
The U.S. and other governments have recognized González as Venezuela’s president-elect. Even many of Maduro’s former leftist allies in Latin America plan to skip Friday’s swearing-in ceremony.
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