Nicolas Maduro Sworn in as Venezuelan President -Friday april 19,2013

Nicolas Maduro was sworn in on Friday as President after a disputed presidential election.The inauguration, which many Latin American leaders but no U.S. diplomat attended, came a day after the National Electoral Council ruled that an audit of Sunday’s voting could take place

Before the presidents of Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, Iran and several other countries, Maduro characterized his government as a peaceful model of hope facing down a threat that he equated with Nazi Germany. He pledged to defeat his opponents, not just for Venezuela’s sake but for the good of Latin America


Nicolas Maduro’s presidency started off shakily, with a man in the ruling party red storming the podium in the National Assembly and grabbing at the microphone as the new leader began his inauguration speech. State television quickly turned the cameras elsewhere for viewers nationwide, and Maduro was unhurt as bodyguards seized the intruder