President Nicolás Maduro will be sworn in for another six years on Friday, and he is hoping to use foreign prisoners to get his way on the global stage.

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 on Thursday emerged from hiding to lead last-ditch protests against the swearing-in of Nicolas Maduro for president after elections he is accused of stealing.

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.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whose nearly 12 years in office have been marked by a deep economic and social crisis, is set to be sworn in for a third term on Friday, staying in power despite a six-month-long dispute over a July election and international calls for him to stand aside.

Venezuela opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was freed on Thursday after a brief detention, her Vente Venezuela movement said on social media.

Aides to Maria Corina Machado say the Venezuela opposition leader has been arrested when her convoy was intercepted by security forces as it departed an anti-government protest in Caracas.

As many as 10 Americans are behind bars in Venezuela as President Nicolas Maduro prepares to be sworn in for a third term.

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.

Fear of repression in Venezuela has escalated in recent days as the inauguration of Maduro's third term approaches on Friday, following last year's contested presidential election, CNN reported