President Nicolás Maduro will extend his increasingly repressive rule over Venezuela until 2031 when he is sworn in on Friday, despite credible evidence that his opponent won the latest election and following protests against his plan to serve a third six-year term.

Security forces fired on her convoy and detained Machado after she came out of hiding in a bid to block the president from clinging to power.

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was arrested Thursday after coming out of hiding to lead a protest against President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, a member of her entourage told AFP. Minutes earlier,