Venezuela is set to inaugurate a head of state on Friday – but there are still two men claiming to be the nation’s rightful president.

Venezuela opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was freed on Thursday, her Vente Venezuela movement said, shortly after she was detained amid gunshots while leaving a protest in eastern Caracas. Opposition demonstrations took place throughout the country in an 11th-hour effort to put pressure on President Nicolas Maduro ahead of his third inauguration on Friday.

The Maduro government says it has arrested at least nine U.S. citizens in the months since Venezuela’s widely discredited presidential election.

During her detention, an aide said, Maria Corina Machado “was forced to record several videos.” She has garnered enormous support for her opposition to Nicolás Maduro.

The brief arrest of Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado provoked swift condemnations on Thursday from political leaders across the globe, punctuated by calls for her right to free speech and personal safety.

Venezuela is meant to inaugurate its next president Jan. 10. But with a contested election, who exactly will take power?

Venezuela opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was detained at a march in Caracas on Thursday in her first public appearance in months and her ally, former presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, demanded she be freed immediately.

Two Americans have been arrested in Venezuela, with President Nicolas Maduro claiming the charges relate to an intent to "practice terrorism against the Venezuelan people."

MIAMI - As Venezuela approaches January 10, a pivotal day in its history, tensions are mounting over a disputed presidential election, systemic human rights violations and dueling presidential inaugurations. Here's a breakdown of the situation: On July 28, 2024, a presidential election was held marred by allegations of fraud and irregularities.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Friday will face more international rebuke than at any time in his 12 years in power.

FILE PHOTO: Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro delivers a speech during a meeting of leaders of the member states of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America and the Treaty of Commerce and Promotion (ALBA-TCP), in Caracas, Venezuela December 14, 2024. REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/File Photo