MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazil's Ambassador to attend Maduro's inauguration

Colombia and Mexico to be represented at Maduro's new inauguration

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will be sending Brazil's Ambassador in Caracas to Nicolás Maduro's Jan. 10 inauguration of another six-year term in office. Once regarded as close allies and friends, Maduro and Lula do not see eye to eye after the controversial July 28 elections where the Chavista leader was declared the winner despite fraud allegations by Edmundo González Urrutia's Unitarian Democratic Platform (PUD).

Glivânia Maria de Oliveira, who has headed Brazil's mission in Caracas for a year, was chosen to attend the ceremony which other heads of state are also particularly keen on dodging, including Mexico's Claudia Scheinbaum.

See also: Colombia and Mexico to be represented at Maduro's new inauguration

While it is obvious that almost nobody wants a picture alongside Maduro these days, there are also fears as to what may happen, since González Urrutia announced time and again that he intends to be sworn in that day. He has been in exile in Spain since September and is traveling to Buenos Aires this coming weekend.

Despite ice-cold ties, Lula -who attended Scheinbaum's inauguration last year- left an ambassador in Venezuela because he believed it was necessary to have some sort of dialogue with Caracas. Brazil is usually represented at the highest level at presidential swearing-in ceremonies. Vice President Geraldo Alckmin went last year to Guatemala and Iran. And despite Lula's reciprocal contempt with Argentina's Javier Milei, he sent Foreign Ministry Mauro Vieira to Buenos Aires on Dec. 10, 2023.

Oblivious to global pressure, Maduro has not released the minutes that would support his victory while the PUD published 83% of those documents showing that even if the Bolivarian leader won 100% of the vote at the remaining stations, González Urrutia's win would be unchallenged.

Violence ensued after the July 28 announcement and the Chavistas arrested political prisoners by the hundreds, some of whom were released in the past few days.

Maduro, who has been in office since 2013 after the death of Bolivarian leader Hugo Chávez, even dubbed Lula's special envoy to the elections, former Foreign Minister Celso Amorim, a “messenger for US imperialism.” In addition, Brazil is now representing Argentina's interests in Caracas after the diplomatic breakup.

For the time being, Brazil has recognized no winner from the presidential elections. In an attempt to soothe things, Lula said that Maduro was a problem of the Venezuelans and not his.