January 10, 2025

Quick Context

Need to Know

What was the online narrative trajectory surrounding #10Ene and #10E?

MORNING - Between 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. EST: The day began with Nicolás Maduro’s inauguration. Researchers at DDIA observed a shift in circulation of content: while the opposition dominated online conversations yesterday (Jan. 9), today, pro-Chavismo content at times surpassed the opposition’s narratives in terms of virality.

Major narratives in support of the Venezuelan Opposition:

• U.S.-based influencers (led by Eduardo Menoni) shared an outdated image of Edmundo González wearing the presidential sash - the posts affirmed González had already been inaugurated. Fact-checkers inform this image dates as far back as January 2.

  
  

• Posts circulating widely on social media and messaging platforms underscored the absence of television coverage for Maduro’s inauguration and the lack of participation from prominent politicians. These posts suggested that Maduro stands isolated, and nod toward diminishing support for his regime.

  
  

• Posts suggesting that “article 350 of the Constitution is activated” and that “Venezuela will be free with LEGITIMATE FORCE!” were detected among supporters of the opposition. This statement refers to Article 350 of the Venezuelan Constitution, which allows citizens to disregard any regime, legislation, or authority that contradicts democratic values, human rights, and constitutional guarantees. By invoking this article, the message suggests the use of force is justified under the constitutional framework to restore democracy and freedom in Venezuela.

  
  

Major narratives in support of the Maduro regime:

• Maduro supporters kicked off the day sharing a video suggesting there is an international conspiracy against Maduro. They accused Edmundo González of being the puppet of Idea group, financed by the former director of Venezuela's federal bank.

  
  

• On Instagram and Telegram, users shared posts featuring Maduro mocking what he refers to as the opposition’s “psychological war,” alongside videos ridiculing what he frames as the “alleged kidnapping” of María Corina Machado.

  
  

• Numerous posts featured images and videos of the inauguration at the National Assembly. On Instagram, four of the top five posts with the highest engagement celebrated the occasion. Several posts emphasized the potential involvement of representatives from Russia, speculating that President Putin may have sent envoys to attend the event.

AFTERNOON - Between 12:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. EST: Following Maduro’s swearing in and María Corina Machado’s publication of a video asserting the regime had formalized a coup d’état, DDIA researchers observed Diosdado Cabello’s role in spreading messages and posts in support of Maduro. Over the course of the afternoon, U.S.-based Latino influencers also began suggesting María Corina Machado and Edmundo González may have been delayed or lacked a clear plan for the day’s events.

Major narratives in support of the Venezuelan Opposition:

• The U.S. announcement offering a $25 million reward for Nicolás Maduro’s arrest was widely shared on open social media. On Instagram, the four posts with the most interaction centered around this offer. The content is being widely shared across Venezuela, Chile, the U.S., and Mexico.

  
  

• Several U.S.-based influencers criticized María Corina Machado and Edmundo González for their “silence,” urging them to take action and fully implement their plans. Eduardo Menoni posted that Venezuela needed a leader like Óscar Pérez to end Maduro’s dictatorship. Óscar Pérez, a former police officer and helicopter pilot, became a prominent anti-government figure in 2017 after hijacking a police helicopter and attacking government buildings in Caracas to protest Maduro’s regime.

  
  

• María Corina Machado’s video – where she talks about Jan. 9, Maduro's inauguration and shares her version of the interception – did not make it onto the list of the most shared content this afternoon, but it is spreading among opposition supporters, who continue to claim that a coup d’état has occurred.

  
  

• Mentions of Article 350 of the Venezuelan Constitution emerged again in this analysis, often connected to Machado's video.

  
  

• U.S. Congress members, including Maria Elvira Salazar, shared posts suggesting that Maduro “has sealed his destiny” today.

Major narratives in support of the Maduro regime:

• The hashtags #YoJuroConMaduroPorElFuturo and #VictoriaPopularPorLaPaz were widely circulated by Diosdado Cabello’s TV show and his supporters on X and Telegram. With nearly 700,000 followers on these platforms, Cabello amplified the narrative that Maduro’s inauguration was a success, bolstered by strong popular support.

  
  

• A trending narrative among Nicolás Maduro’s supporters suggests that María Corina Machado staged her own kidnapping to provoke calls for military intervention. Links shared on public WhatsApp groups inform that Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s Executive Vice President, criticized Machado and her allies, accusing them of orchestrating a media spectacle to incite unrest. Rodríguez argued that this was an attempt to divert attention from the poor turnout at protests and undermine the legitimacy of Nicolás Maduro’s inauguration.

Search Methodology - Round 3

Query 1: "edmundo gonzalez" OR "maria corina" OR corina OR "toma de posesión" OR "certificación" OR "#10Ene" OR "10Ene" OR #10E OR  maduro OR “nicolás maduro” OR diosdado OR “jorge rodriguez” OR #9Ene OR #9E OR 9ene

Query 2: “plaza bolivar” OR “Erik Prince” OR erik OR prince OR chacao OR “La Vega” OR “Santa Fe” OR Élice OR Elice OR bolívar OR protesta OR encuentro OR carcel OR cárcel OR represión OR sebin OR dgcim OR detenido OR preso OR herido OR policia OR “guardia nacional” OR “mario abdo” OR abdo OR expresidente OR expresidentes OR petro OR fbi

Country: In NewsWhip all locations, in Palver, Venezuela / Language: Spanish

Timeframe: Jan. 10, 2025, 12:00 a.m. EST to Jan. 10, 12:00 p.m. EST

Tools: Palver and NewsWhip

Platforms observed: WhatsApp, Telegram, X, Facebook, Instagram.

Search Methodology - Round 4

Query 1: "edmundo gonzalez" OR "maria corina" OR corina OR "toma de posesión" OR "certificación" OR "#10Ene" OR "10Ene" OR #10E OR  maduro OR “nicolás maduro” OR diosdado OR “jorge rodriguez” OR #9Ene OR #9E OR 9ene

Query 2: “plaza bolivar” OR “Erik Prince” OR erik OR prince OR chacao OR “La Vega” OR “Santa Fe” OR Élice OR Elice OR bolívar OR protesta OR encuentro OR carcel OR cárcel OR represión OR sebin OR dgcim OR detenido OR preso OR herido OR policia OR “guardia nacional” OR “mario abdo” OR abdo OR expresidente OR expresidentes OR petro OR fbi

Country: In NewsWhip all locations. In Palver, Venezuela / Language: Spanish

Timeframe: Jan. 10, 2025, 12:00 p.m. EST to Jan. 10, 5 p.m. EST

Tools: Palver and NewsWhip

Platforms observed: WhatsApp, Telegram, X, Facebook, Instagram.

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