US Raises Bounty On Venezuelan President Maduro As He Takes Oath For Third Term

<p>Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was sworn in for a third term on Friday, despite a six-month-long election dispute and international calls for him to stand aside. The US bounty has been raised to 25 million for his capture.</p>
<p>Maduro has been president since 2013, and his 12-year tenure has been marked by deep economic and social crises. Both Venezuela’s electoral authority and the top court declared him the winner of the July 2024 election, though detailed tallies confirming his victory have never been published.</p>
<p>According to Reuters, Venezuela’s opposition claims ballot box-level tallies indicate a landslide victory for former candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, who is recognized as president-elect by several countries, including the United States. However, international election observers stated that the vote was not democratic.</p>
<p>The ceremony took place on Friday in a small room of the National Assembly, a significant difference from previous ceremonies which were held in the building&rsquo;s main hall. Maduro was sworn in by the National Assembly leader Jorge Rodriguez, who placed the presidential sash on him.</p>
<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve achieved what we knew we would achieve,&rdquo; Maduro said during his first speech after being sworn in, according to a CNN report. “The power given to me was not granted by a foreign government, a foreign president, or a gringo government,” Maduro said at the event, which was attended by Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and Cuba&rsquo;s Miguel Diaz-Canel.</p>
<p>&ldquo;No one in this world can impose a president in Venezuela,&rdquo; he added as per CNN.</p>
<p><strong>US Bounty On Maduro&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>Shortly after the event, the US declared an 18-month extension of Temporary Protected Status for qualifying Venezuelan nationals and introduced new rewards for information that led to the capture of Maduro and his top officials, including Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello.</p>
<p>The rewards for Maduro and for Cabello &mdash; now amounting to $25 million each &mdash; are the maximum rewards allowed under the State Department&rsquo;s narcotics reward program, an official said. The US indicted Maduro and others on narcotics and corruption charges, among others, in 2020. Maduro has rejected the accusations.</p>
<p>The US imposed visa restrictions and sanctions on eight Maduro-aligned officials, accusing them of undermining Venezuela&rsquo;s electoral process.</p>
<p><strong>Venezuelan Opposition</strong></p>
<p>Maduro was declared the winner of the country’s presidential election on July 28 by electoral authorities, who are closely controlled by the ruling Socialist Party. However, Venezuela&rsquo;s opposition has released thousands of voting tallies, asserting that their candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, actually won the election with 67 per cent of the vote, compared to Maduro&rsquo;s 30 per cent.</p>
<p>On Friday afternoon, opposition leader Maria Corina Machado remained defiant, she accused Maduro&rsquo;s government of trampling on Venezuela&rsquo;s constitution. Going forward, &ldquo;the pressure will increase even more until Maduro understands that this is over,&rdquo; she pledged.</p>
<p>Maduro &ldquo;violates the constitution, also flanked by the dictators of Cuba and Nicaragua, this says it all,&rdquo; she added, as per CNN.</p>