President-elect Donald Trump says Venezuela's embattled opposition leader must be protected as President Nicolas Maduro takes the oath of office for a third six-year term.

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, whose nearly 12 years in office have been marked by a deep economic and social crisis, was sworn in for his third term on Friday, remaining in power despite a six-month-long dispute over a contested July election and international calls for him to stand aside.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been sworn in to a third term despite credible evidence that his opponent won the latest election

Supporters of Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado surround the truck she waves from during a protest against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro the day before his inauguration for a third term in Caracas,

With his challengers scattered and reeling, Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro was sworn in for a third six-year term, shrugging off international condemnation of a sham election and a brutal crackdown on dissent.

President-elect Donald Trump says Venezuela's embattled opposition leader must be protected as President Nicolas Maduro takes the oath of office for a third six-year term.