CARACAS, January 10. /TASS/. State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin has taken part in the inauguration ceremony of Venezuela's President-elect Nicolas Maduro, with the event taking place in Caracas at the Federal Legislative Palace, a TASS correspondent reports.
The day before, Volodin arrived in Venezuela to represent Russia at the inauguration on behalf of President Vladimir Putin. During his speech, Maduro highlighted Volodin's arrival, referring to him as "a special envoy of the Russian president." The Venezuelan leader also expressed gratitude for Volodin's visit to Caracas.
After delivering his speech, Maduro once again greeted the guests attending the ceremony and shook hands with Volodin individually.
Maduro took office for the third time as president of Venezuela, a position he will hold until 2031.
He won the presidential election on July 28 last year. He received 51.95% of the vote, while his major rival, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, got 43.18%.
One of the opposition leaders, Maria Corina Machado, said on the day of the vote that Gonzalez’s team would not recognize a defeat.
Russia, Bolivia, Honduras, Iran, China, Cuba, Nicaragua and other countries congratulated Maduro on his victory. Some nations, including the US, did not recognize Maduro’s re-election and stand in support of Gonzalez.