Rival demonstrations in Caracas as Venezuelan opposition leaders speak out

Rival groups of demonstrators have gathered in Venezuela’s capital Caracas, on the eve of President Nicolas Maduro’s inauguration for a third term on Friday.

In several parts of Caracas on Thursday, crowds of opposition supporters slowly swelled with people waving flags and calling for libertad (freedom). Supporters were also seen holding “Gonzalez Presidente” signs and blowing vuvuzelas.

Meanwhile in Venezuela’s largest barrio Petare, Maduro supporters also assembled in what they call a “march for peace and joy.”

CARACAS, VENEZUELA – JANUARY 7: President Nicolas Maduro swears in the combat forces during a pro-government rally on January 7, 2025 in Caracas, Venezuela. Nicolas Maduro will take oath as president of Venezuela on January 10 for another 6 years amidst tension in the country after the last presidential election on July 28, 2024. Maduro claims to have won the election while the opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez affirms he has won and, consequently, he is the legitimate president of Venezuela. (Photo by Jesus Vargas/Getty Images)

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Venezuela opposition leader Maria Corina Machado made a rare public appearance to join one of the protest groups, Reuters video showed.

“I am here,” she posted on X, along with a video of herself at the protest, wearing jeans and the colors of the Venezuelan flag.

Machado had not been seen in months, since Maduro’s government cracked down on Venezeulan opposition figures and their supporters following the summer’s contested presidential election.

Asked what would happen if she were arrested earlier this week, Machado told CNN’s Isa Soares, “We’re taking one day at a time, Isa. I am quite conscious of my responsibilities. But also, we know that this is a cost that transcends every single one of us. So, we need to do this. I am going to be with our people tomorrow.”

On July 28, Maduro was proclaimed winner of the presidential election by electoral authorities under the tight control of the ruling Socialist Party. But Venezuela’s opposition published thousands of voting tallies claiming that their own candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, had actually won the vote with 67% against Maduro’s 30%.

Independent observers such as the Carter Center and the Colombian Electoral Mission, as well as CNN’s own analysis, have since found the opposition tallies to be legitimate.

Maduro is scheduled to attend a swearing-in ceremony on January 10 to begin his third term in power.

A demonstrator waves a Venezuelan flag at an opposition protest in Caracas on January 9, 2025.

Gonzalez, who has vowed to return to Caracas this week despite the threat of arrest, started the day in the Dominican Republic where he met the Dominican President Luis Abinader and other regional former leaders.

“We Venezuelans will soon regain our freedom,” Gonzalez said in a speech in Santo Domingo.