Venezuela: Gov’t Rejects US Interference Ahead of Maduro Inauguration, Breaks Diplomatic Ties with Paraguay

Caracas, January 7, 2025 (venezuelanalysis.com) – The Venezuelan government has rejected the Biden administration’s latest employment of “worn-out intervention strategies” by recognizing former opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia as “president-elect.”

“The decrepit Biden administration, defeated and in retreat, once again resorts to worn-out intervention strategies, trying to artificially inflate insignificant political figures in Venezuela while ignoring the clear sovereign will of our people,” read a communique issued by the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry on Monday.

According to Caracas, the outgoing administration left “a legacy of domestic and international failures” but insists on supporting “a violent project that the popular vote and the revolutionary democracy of the Venezuelan people have already defeated.”

The statement emphasized that Venezuela would respond with “firmness” and “dignity” to “any attempt to undermine stability or incite violence.” 

A communique issued on Monday reported that Biden welcomed González to the White House “to discuss shared efforts to restore democracy in Venezuela.” It referred to the opposition figure as “president-elect” and emphasized that “[his] campaign victory should be honored through a peaceful transfer back to democratic rule.”

Biden further vowed to closely monitor opposition protests scheduled for January 9 and reiterated the “US commitment to continue to hold [President Nicolás] Maduro and his representatives accountable for their anti-democratic and repressive actions.” In November, the US Treasury imposed individual sanctions against 21 Venezuelan state and military officials for supporting Maduro. Washington has additionally levied wide-reaching coercive measures against the Venezuelan oil industry and other economic sectors.

During a press conference outside the White House, González described the meeting as “long, fruitful, and cordial.” He did not provide details about topics discussed. The former candidate added that his team has been in contact with President-elect Donald Trump’s advisors and that he expects a “very close” relationship with the new administration that is set to take office on January 20.

Regarding a possible return to Venezuela, González stated that he “carried in his heart” the support of the Venezuelan people but disclosed no concrete plans. 

During his visit to Washington, the 75-year-old former diplomat also met with Congressman Mike Waltz (R-FL), Trump’s National Security Advisor pick, representatives María Elvira Salazar (R-FL), Carlos Giménez (R-FL) and Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL) as well as the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro. 

He had previously traveled to Argentina, where he was hosted by far-right President Javier Milei, and Uruguay, at the invitation of outgoing President Luis Lacalle Pou. 

González, who self-exiled in Spain in September 2024, has pledged on several occasions to return to Venezuela to be sworn in as president on January 10, when the new constitutional presidential mandate begins. However, he currently faces an arrest warrant from the Venezuelan Attorney General’s Office on charges of usurpation of functions, forgery, instigation to disobey the law, association to commit a crime and conspiracy.

Venezuelan authorities have likewise announced a USD 100,000 reward for his capture. 

González, alongside far-right leader María Corina Machado, also participated in a videoconference with Paraguayan President Santiago Peña. During the meeting on Monday, Peña emphasized his government’s commitment to “the swift restoration of democracy in Venezuela.”

Caracas responded by accusing Peña of subordinating his country’s foreign policy to “the interests of foreign powers” and severing diplomatic ties, with Paraguayan officials ordered to leave the country. Asunción reacted by explicitly calling González “president-elect” and applying reciprocating instructions to Venezuelan diplomats.

The two South American nations restored ties in November 2023 after a four-and-a-half-year hiatus that followed Paraguay and several other right-wing regional governments recognizing Juan Guaidó as the “interim president” of Venezuela.

According to Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE), Maduro won the July 28 election with 6.4 million votes to González’s 5.3 million. In August, the Supreme Court upheld the results after requesting that the CNE present voting records as well as the tallies collected by political parties and their candidates during the electoral process. The electoral authority did not publish results broken down by voting center.

The hardline anti-government forces, led by Machado, refused to recognize the official results and declared González the winner while ignoring the high court’s summons to submit evidence during its electoral process review. It published a purported set of result tallies on a parallel website that gave a landslide victory to the opposition candidate.

The Maduro government accused opposition leaders of instigating violent post-electoral. According to reports, 27 people died, including two Socialist Party (PSUV) grassroots activists, alongside extensive damage to public property in several cities. Authorities executed around 2,000 arrests. Recently, Attorney General Tarek William Saab announced that over 1,515 people had been released, although some might still face trial.

Maduro is set to begin his third presidential term (2025-2030) this Friday. On Sunday, the leadership of the National Assembly (AN) was ratified for the 2025-2026 legislative period, with the body’s President Jorge Rodríguez immediately inviting Maduro for his inauguration ceremony before the AN.

Chavista leader and Vice President of the ruling Socialist Party (PSUV), Diosdado Cabello, called for a mobilization on January 9, coinciding with planned opposition protests and on the eve of the president’s swearing-in ceremony. The pro-government march will begin in the eastern neighborhood of Petare and culminate in the opposition stronghold of Chacao in east Caracas.

In a televised address on Monday, Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López firmly rejected calls by González that the armed forces support his presidential claim.

López emphasized that the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) have an “unwavering commitment to Venezuelan democracy” and reaffirmed their recognition of Maduro as the “Constitutional President.”

“We categorically and vehemently denounce this absurd and farcical act of despicable politicking,” he said, in reference to a social media video published by González. “United in a strong popular-military-police alliance, we will resolutely defend the Constitution, our nation’s laws, and uphold our freedom, sovereignty, and independence,” the defense minister declared.

Edited by Ricardo Vaz from Caracas.