Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has been sworn in for a third six-year term despite international condemnation following July’s disputed presidential election.

On Friday, Maduro stood before the National Assembly in the capital Caracas and was sworn in, promising that his next term would be a “time of peace.”

But his inauguration was preceded by demonstrations and accusations of government repression and electoral fraud.

Protesters took to the streets Thursday in Venezuela and other countries with large Venezuelan diaspora communities, including Spain, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico and El Salvador.

At a rally in Caracas, opposition leader Maria Colina Machado made her first appearance in months, encouraging supporters to keep up the pressure on Maduro and his government.

She was briefly detained by security forces after her public appearance, according to her team. Other opposition leaders have been detained or face arrest warrants.

The opposition accuses Maduro, 62, of stealing the results of last July 28 election, and the United States, the European Union and several Latin American countries have recognized opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia. Venezuela’s president was legitimately elected.

Critics have decried a new wave of crackdowns on the eve of Friday’s ceremony, with several activists and opposition figures arrested in recent days, prompting the United Nations to sound the alarm.

As recently as Thursday, at least 17 protesters were detained, according to a post on social media platform X by Gonzalo Himiob of the NGO Foro Penal.

Maduro ordered the deployment of thousands of police and soldiers ahead of the inauguration to maintain security, especially in the capital, Caracas.

Armed military personnel guarded the streets, many of which were blocked for the ceremony, and traffic was noticeably lighter than usual as police set up numerous roadblocks.