Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has called for protests nationwide on January 9, the day before Nicolas Maduro’s scheduled swearing-in for a new term as president.“Venezuelans, the time has come. We have longed so much to meet again, to embrace each other with confidence, with joy, with the hope that a bright future is beginning for all in our country,” Machado says in a video released on January 8. “We all know that this is over. Venezuela will no longer be pitied.”Both Maduro and the opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia claimed victory in the wake of the country’s July election.The United States has officially recognized Gonzalez as the president-elect, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying he won “resoundingly” and calling for “respect for the will of the voters.”President Joe Biden met Gonzalez in Washington on January 6, and described him as the man “who should be taking the oath of office”.In a message addressed to the Venezuelan Army, Gonzalez said “I must assume the role of commander in chief.” Credit: Maria Corina Machado via Storyful