Venezuelan opposition calls for protests against Maduro's inauguration

(Patria) - Venezuelan opposition leaders on Tuesday called on their supporters to prepare for mass protests against the start of President Nicolas Maduro's third term on January 10, AFP reported.

"The moment is approaching when we will once again take to the streets of Venezuela to achieve victory," said Maria Corina Machado, who went into hiding after the disputed July elections.

"Let's get ready. We will see each other in the streets in January," she said in a video posted on social media, without providing details of the planned action.

Opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who is in exile in Spain, called on
Venezuelans to "dedicate themselves together to maintaining" his mandate.

Demonstrations erupted across the country after Maduro was declared the winner of the July 28 elections, and results published by the opposition show that their candidate won convincingly.

28 people were killed in the protests, about 200 were injured, and more than 2,400 were arrested.
The United States and the European Parliament recognized Gonzalez Urrutia as the "elected president".

The G7 bloc, consisting of the United States, Canada, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom,
Japan, and France, said it considers Gonzalez Urrutia the winner of the election.

Gonzalez Urrutia (75) fled with his wife in September after Maduro's government threatened him with arrest.