Albanese calls for ‘peaceful, democratic transition’ of power in Venezuela after US capture of Nicolás Maduro

<p>Australian prime minister says government has ‘long held concerns about the situation’ in South American country</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/jan/03/caracas-explosions-venezuela-maduro-latest-news-updates-live">US attacks Venezuela – live updates</a></p></li><li><p>Get our <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/email-newsletters?CMP=cvau_sfl">breaking news email</a>, <a href="https://app.adjust.com/w4u7jx3">free app</a> or <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/series/full-story?CMP=cvau_sfl">daily news podcast</a></p></li></ul><p>The Australian prime minister says he backs a “peaceful, democratic transition” of power in Venezuela after the forcible capture of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/nicolas-maduro">Nicolás Maduro</a> by the US military, but has urged that international law be respected.</p><p>In a cautious statement, Anthony Albanese said his government was “monitoring developments” after <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/03/trump-venezuela-oil-industry">Venezuela’s president and his wife were captured</a> and transported to the US.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/04/albanese-calls-for-peaceful-democratic-transition-of-power-in-venezuela-after-us-capture-of-nicolas-maduro">Continue reading...</a>