A top election official warned the opposition Saturday against raising "false expectations" over an audit of Venezuela's presidential election, saying it cannot overturn President Nicolas Maduro's win. Opposition candidate Henrique Capriles accepted the expanded audit in lieu of a vote-by-vote recount on the eve of Maduro's swearing-in Friday, helping to ease tensions that had led to eight deaths in post-election protests.

Venezuela's opposition Saturday accused the government of President Nicolas Maduro of engaging in mass arrests of protesters, in a contentious start to his new administration. Maduro, who was sworn in to office on Friday to replace the late Hugo Chavez, said in his inaugural address he was ready for dialogue with the opposition but coupled that with warnings he would take a "hard fist" against those promoting a coup d'etat.

Venezuela's new President Nicolas Maduro was roughly pushed aside during his inaugural address Friday by a man in a red shirt who ran on stage at the National Assembly and grabbed the microphone. The incident caused momentary confusion as national television coverage of the event briefly went off the air, returning after Maduro had regained his composure and the youth had been moved off stage. "Security has absolutely failed. They could have shot me here," Maduro complained to the audience of presidents, prime ministers and other dignitaries gathered in the assembly chamber.

Venezuela's National Electoral Council said Thursday it would audit votes cast in weekend presidential elections after an opposition challenge to the victory accorded President-elect Nicolas Maduro. Council president Tibisay Lucena said the expanded audit would encompass all the ballot boxes not reviewed on election day, with about two-thirds of them selected as a random sample. "Under no circumstance should this be interpreted as a vote count of any kind," she said.