Maximum tension and paranoia from the regime a few hours before the presidential inauguration in Venezuela

Less than 24 hours before January 10 and only a few hours after opposition leader Maria Corina Machado called for protests in Venezuela, the country is going through an unprecedented level of tension.

In the last few hours, the regime has undertaken brutal repression against dissidents. Yesterday afternoon, renowned human rights activist Carlos Correa was kidnapped and disappeared. Former presidential candidate and former rector of the National Electoral Council, Enrique Marquez, was also kidnapped. The kidnapping of both individuals adds to more than 11 people kidnapped in just the last day.

In addition, Maduro's regime has deployed in the streets of Venezuela's main cities a force of control and intimidation as never seen before in the country. Thousands of members of the Intelligence, Counter-Intelligence or police have taken over the main avenues of Caracas or cities such as Valencia and Maracaibo. Police and agents of the regime check citizens in the streets, search their vehicles and carry out intimidating surveillance days.

The regime has also ordered supporters, many of them forced, to ride through the streets on motorcycles, shouting slogans for Maduro, in an apparent effort to intimidate dissent. Many policemen have also dressed as armed civilians to join in the intimidation.

Additionally, Voz Media learned that the Maduro regime has undertaken an intense search in the country's main cities but has not specified precisely for what or whom.

Both Nicolás Maduro and other spokesmen of chavismo, such as the regime's second in command, Diosdado Cabello, have claimed that there are insurrectionary plans by the opposition, have spoken of the American Erik Prince and his alleged willingness to make military incursions in Venezuela and have accused María Corina Machado of preparing a coup d'état to prevent the illegal swearing-in of Nicolás Maduro. So far, the regime has reported the kidnapping of more than 20 foreigners from different countries, including the United States, Israel and Ukraine.

In parallel, tension is growing outside Venezuela. Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, the president-elect, traveled from Panama to the Dominican Republic, the last country of his international tour, before returning home. Gonzalez has promised that he will be sworn in as president soon and that a group of former presidents of Ibero-America will accompany him.

The former presidents, more than 30, published a letter stating their commitment to accompany Edmundo Gonzalez, who is to be sworn in in Caracas, as is proper. It is not known, for the moment, how they will accomplish this.

Maria Corina Machado, who will emerge this Thursday from hiding for several months, published a video on Wednesday night stating that the regime of Nicolas Maduro had already fallen.

"The time has come (...) This is over," she said.

With no certainty about what will happen in the coming hours, an imminent train wreck is expected. The opposition, however, looks more confident than ever, while Chavismo has entered a state of unprecedented paranoia.