It is not viable for Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez to enter the country, his ally Maria Corina Machado said on Friday, shortly after President Nicolas Maduro was sworn in for a third term despite months of controversy over the country's contested July election.

Machado’s appearance at the rally was her first public appearance in months, since a government crackdown on Venezeulan opposition figures and their supporters last year.

The Nicolas Maduro regime arrested Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado on Thursday after opening fire against the driver of the motorcycle in which she was riding, people close to her team said.