Venezuela closes border with Brazil until next Monday

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that Venezuela’s border with Brazil has been temporarily closed until next Monday (13). The measure was implemented by decision of the Venezuelan authorities.

In a note, Itamaraty released guidelines for Brazilians who live in the neighboring country and, perhaps, need help from the Brazilian government. In this case, they can call the consular services of the Brazilian Embassy in Caracas (+58 414 3723337) and the Vice-Consulate in Santa Elena de Uairén (+58 424 9551570), both with Whatsapp.

In a ceremony held at the National Assembly of Venezuela, in Caracas, yesterday, President Nicolás Maduro was sworn in for his third term as head of the country’s Executive, for the period from 2025 to 2031. In the speech, Maduro highlighted that they failed to prevent his inauguration .

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The dispute over the country’s presidency has caused apprehension inside and outside Venezuela. Several countries contested the results of the polls and pointed out fraud in the elections, and the day before the presidential inauguration was marked by animosity, an exchange of accusations between government supporters and the opposition, and the arrest of political opponents of the government.

As reported by Agência Brasil, news circulated in the Brazilian press last Thursday (9) that the main exponent of the Venezuelan opposition, María Corina Machado, was arrested during a protest. Comando Com Venezuela published a new communication stating that she was forced to record videos to deny her detention and that it was a condition for her release. Authorities alleged that the former deputy created a factoid to try to “tarnish” the inauguration of President Nicolás Maduro, scheduled for this Friday (10) and stated that the demonstrations have been empty.

Three days before Maduro’s inauguration, the arrest of the country’s former presidential candidate, Enrique Márquez, from the Centrados party, was also reported, accused of attempting a coup d’état. According to the government, Márquez would be organizing an inauguration parallel to the presidency of the country of opponent Edmundo González, from a Venezuelan embassy abroad.

The tremor in the neighboring country’s relations with Brazil was permeated by direct criticism from Venezuela. For Maduro, Brazil was responsible for vetoing his entry into the Brics group, during the organization’s summit, in Kazan, Russia, in November. The accusations and diplomatic ruptures extended to Argentina and Paraguay.