Venezuela: Maduro’s third re-election
Published: May 29, 2025
Venezuela has the largest known oil reserves on the planet.
Once the richest nation in South America, Venezuela entered a severe economic crisis in 2014, worsened by international sanctions.
On January 10, 2025, Venezuela’s authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro started his third presidency.
Officially, Maduro has won the election in 2024 with 52% of the votes.
However, the opposition presented strong evidence of fraud and inconsistencies.
A part of the international community, especially US allies, spoke against Maduro. This is a similar reaction to his previous re-election in 2018.
We looked at how international media covered the event, and explain what shapes their angles.
The Guardian: a UK daily newspaper, read internationally
Centre-left: associated with “progressive” and “politically correct” views.
Independent: special ownership structure secures editorial freedom.
Angle: openly critical of the Venezuelan regime.
The Guardian uses some emotional language in describing Maduro’s inauguration:
It mentions that Maduro is “accused of a shameless and fraudulent power-grab” and calls his re-election last year an “alleged theft”.
However, this language is indirect: instead of describing the events directly, the Guardian quotes other people’s descriptions.
The Guardian does not dive into the details of the evidence of electoral fraud, even though it is available.
The article stresses that the event was only attended by autocratic leaders from Nicaragua and Cuba.
It notes that key regional leaders and former allies of Maduro on the centre-left from Brazil and Colombia missed the inauguration, reflecting their disapproval of the election process.
The Guardian focuses on critical international reactions.
They share a quote from the “progressive” president of Chile: “I am someone from… the political left [and] I tell you: Nicolás Maduro’s government is a dictatorship.”
The Guardian describes the struggles of Venezuela’s opposition, closing the article with a comment from Maduro’s key opponent, Maria Machado.
In 2013, The Guardian’s previous Latin America correspondent said that many editors at the paper believed that they should support Chávez (Maduro’s predecessor and mentor) "because he was a standard-bearer for the left".
The Guardian’s position is now similar to other major newspapers, focusing on autocratic rule and human rights issues.
Venezualanalysis.com: a Venezuelan pro-government website
Supports the government of the former president Hugo Chavez, and now of Nicolas Maduro.
Left-wing: gives voice to Socialist and local groups in Venezuela, countering “corporate media propaganda”.
Angle: supportive of Nicholas Maduro.
The article opens by saying that Maduro will serve his 6-year term until 2031, and that this is “dictated by the Venezuelan Constitution”.
Venezuela Analysis (VA) claims that the 2025 inauguration was attended by international delegations from 125 countries.
It does not define what it means by delegation.
This serves to counteract “mainstream media” who stress that regional leaders did not attend.
VA simply says that the election results “were ratified [made official] by the Supreme Court”.
However, it does not mention that the Supreme Court in Venezuela is controlled by Maduro’s government.
The article then gives 4 paragraphs based on Maduro’s inauguration speech.
VA also describes “massive” pro-government demonstrations in areas associated with the opposition, in another attempt to show Maduro’s legitimacy.
The arricle refers to the opposition in Venezuela as “US-backed”.
The US did strongly support the Venezuelan opposition, and its leader, Maria Machado, called for an international military intervention to overthrow Maduro on humanitarian grounds.
VA refers to Machado as “far-right”. While she holds radical anti-Maduro stances, her policy proposals are more liberal and centrist.
The article does not mention any concerns about, or evidence of electoral fraud and other irregularities, shared by the opposition and international observers.
VA says the opposition “refused to accept the outcome” and called it a “regime change operation”.
The article writes: “successive US administrations have sought to strangle the Venezuelan economy with sanctions”.
While the US introduced severe economic sanctions, especially during Donald Trump’s first term, they have worsened the crisis that already started in 2014, following a fall in oil prices.
Al Jazeera: private media network, based in Qatar, partly funded by its government
International: Broadcasts in English and Arabic
Alternative: gives voice to the Global South and counters mainstream narratives, especially on Middle Eastern affairs.
Angle: impartial news coverage, but critical of human rights abuses in its editorial.
Al Jazeera (AJ) noted that Maduro was inaugurated despite international and local opposition.
The article covers the context in a balanced way, mentioning international pressure, Maduro’s speech and Machado’s comments.
AJ then gives some historical background.
In 1998, Bolivarian Revolution, a movement led by Hugo Chavez, ended a two-party political system in Venezuela and installed a populist government.
After Chavez’s death in 2013, his right-hand-man Nicholas Maduro was controversially elected, and in 2018 re-elected, the president of Venezuela.
The article mentions both that Maduro is blamed for the economic crisis, and that it was worsened by US sanctions.
AJ discusses the election irregularities in detail, explaining that the voting tallies were not made public, breaking with the process.
It also notes that the opposition published tallies supposedly proving their victory. It does not mention the claims of voter intimidation or political repressions.
Qatar acted as a mediator in the latest round of failed talks between the Venezuelan government and the opposition. This would have created additional motivation to keep the news coverage neutral.
However, a longer Al Jazeera article published on the same day is openly critical of Maduro and focuses on state repression and human rights abuses.
Xinhua: China’s official news agency
Governmental: is directly state-controlled.
International: publishes in multiple languages.
Angle: uncritical, highlighting China’s close alliance with Venezuela.
Xinhua’s main news article on 10 January focuses on quoting Maduro’s inauguration speech, providing little context.
It briefly records the basic fact that Maduro was inaugurated, with 5 of the article’s 7 sentences quoting from his speech that day.
There is no mention of the election’s disputed result, the opposition in general, or the international backlash.
The final sentence simply reads: “On July 28, 2024, Maduro won the presidential election with 51.95% of vote, according to figures from the National Electoral Council.”
China has been Venezuela’s most important international backer, providing both diplomatic and economic support that has been vital for keeping the regime in power.
Venezuela became a loyal partner of China internationally, while also being financially in debt to it.
China is interested in Venezuela’s natural resources, as well as the diplomatic support from a region the US has long considered to be its “backyard”.
In another article, Xinhua records the attendance of a special envoy from China at Maduro’s inauguration, underlining the strength of bilateral relations.
Reuters: international news agency, head office in London
Newswire: produces comprehensive coverage of global events and sells it to other newspapers and professionals.
Neutral: aims for a balanced approach to news coverage, avoiding bias or taking sides.
Angle: balanced coverage, with a US focus.
Reuters points to the economic and social crisis behind the disputed elections, and international calls for Maduro to step down.
The article provides the context of the electoral process that received criticism for failing to follow international standards for “free and fair” elections.
It briefly states that “international election observers said the vote was not democratic”.
Reuters describes the challenges facing the opposition presidential candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez. Currently, he cannot return to Venezuela without risking being put in prison.
The article prioritises emotional quotes from the opposition leader and the reactions of international governments, including the US and other governments, who tightened sanctions.
Quotes from Maduro’s inauguration speech come lower down in the article.
This strengthens the sense that the elections were not free or fair.
The article then focuses on the details of US-led international economic sanctions.
By comparison, coverage in the Associated Press, another newswire agency, based in the US, is more emotive, highlighting state repression and opposition protests.
The AP is targeted more toward the general public, with its articles often reprinted in local newspapers, and is rated as having a Centre-left bias.
Reuters, on the other hand, is targeted at a more professional audience, with many companies and media organisations subscribing directly to the service.
Author Benedict Mander
Editor Anton Kutuzov
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