Venezuela’s government has unleashed a fresh wave of repression as the opposition plans nationwide protests to denounce Nicolás Maduro’s inauguration as president this week.

Two U.S. citizens have been arrested in Venezuela, part of a group of seven whom President Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday branded as "mercenaries" in the latest roundup ahead of the embattled leader's expected inauguration to a new term later this week.

Venezuela's leader Nicolás Maduro announced on state television on 7 January the arrest of seven foreigners whom he accused of being "mercenaries", allegedly trying to prevent him from taking the presidential oath.

Venezuelan migrant Mariangela Lozano longs for her homeland, but ahead of Friday's planned inauguration for President Nicolas Maduro's third term, she has begrudgingly opted to remain in Mexico and brave her meager living conditions.

The opposition has published ballot box-level tallies that it says show a resounding victory for its candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, who is now on a regional tour to promote the oppos

The democratic opposition, led by María Corina Machado, has led a courageous and peaceful campaign against Maduro’s fraud, providing evidence via copies of official tally sheets from polling stations to show that opposition candidate Edmundo González won the election by a margin of more than two to one.

Venezuela is on tenterhooks as it braces for pro- and anti-government protests Thursday -- the eve of President Nicolas Maduro's swearing-in for a third term rejected by the opposition and much of the international community as illegitimate.