Venezuela's incumbent President Nicolas Maduro was sworn in on Friday, beginning his third consecutive six-year term after he was declared the winner of last year's controversial election.

Maduro took the oath in parliament. He said he would make his next term a "period of peace."

"Say what you want, do what you must, but this constitutional investiture could not be stopped and is a great victory of democracy in Venezuela," Maduro said as he took the oath.

The swearing-in comes in the midst of internal turbulence, with frequent protests against his alleged power grab including one on Thursday when opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was briefly detained.

The opposition says partial tallies it released prove official results of the July presidential election cannot be correct. 

Maduro's administration has meanwhile maintained he was the winner, but has declined to publish detailed tallies of the vote.

The US, Spain, the European Parliament and others have declared Maduro's re-election illegitimate and recognized exiled defeated opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia as the rightful president-elect.

Opposition decries 'coup' 

The Democratic Unitary Platform coalition issued a statement saying Maduro had completed a "coup d'etat" that began with July 28's election, "supported by brute force and ignoring the popular sovereignty expressed" in the election. 

Thursday's opposition protest against Maduro was Machado's first public appearance since early August, when she went into hiding amid the crackdown on anti-Maduro demonstrations.

Her Vente Venezuela political movement reported gunfire, with the opposition leader being knocked off the motorcycle she was riding as she left the protest. 

"I am now in a safe place and with more determination than ever before to continue with you until the end!" Machado — who was barred from running in the election — said on social media after her release.

During a recent tour of the US, Gonzalez had said he planned to return to Venezuela in time for Friday, to be sworn in. 

He failed to make it clear how he planned to do this, with a warrant out for his arrest and a $100,000 bounty, and with Maduro's administration seemingly in complete control of security forces. Gonzalez was granted asylum in Spain soon after the vote.

Western sanctions pour in amid inauguration

As Maduro was being inaugurated, Western countries tightened their sanctions on his administration.

The US increased to $25 million a reward for the president's arrest, imposing sanctions on eight Venezuelan officials.

Those newly sanctioned included Hector Obregon, who was recently appointed as head of Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA, as well as Transport Minister Ramon Velasquez.

The UK also announced sanctioning 15 figures linked to Maduro. 

"Nicolas Maduro's claim to power is fraudulent." Foreign Secretary David Lammy said. "The outcome of July's elections was neither free nor fair and his regime does not represent the will of the Venezuelan people."

The European Union meanwhile broadened sanctions to include 15 new figures, bringing the total list of those sanctioned to 69. Those added on Friday include members of the National Electoral Council, the judiciary and the security forces.

rmt/msh (AFP, AP)