Most available polling and reporting indicate that a large majority of Venezuelans have been unhappy with Nicolás Maduro for years, associating his government with economic collapse, corruption, repression, and mass emigration, although some groups still support him out of ideological loyalty, patronage ties, or fear of instability. Feelings today are also strongly shaped by the recent U.S. military action and his capture, which many Venezuelans see with a mix of relief at the end of his rule, fear of further chaos or foreign control, and fatigue after a decade of crisis.

Overall public mood

  • Polling and analysis around the 2024 presidential election suggested that an opposition candidate, Edmundo González, would win by a landslide in a fair vote, which implies widespread rejection of Maduro’s rule among the electorate.
  • Long-term reporting describes Maduro’s government as presiding over deep economic and social crises and using heavy-handed tactics to stay in power, which has badly damaged his legitimacy in the eyes of many Venezuelans.

Why many reject Maduro

  • Years of hyperinflation, shortages, collapsing public services, and one of the world’s largest displacement crises pushed millions of Venezuelans to blame Maduro and the governing elite for mismanagement and corruption.
  • Human rights reports and local commentary highlight repression, politicized courts, and rigged elections, leading many citizens to see his presidency as a dictatorship rather than a normal democracy.

Why some still support him

  • Some poorer communities and public employees remain tied to Chavismo through state jobs, social programs, and party networks, and may fear losing those if the opposition fully takes power.
  • A segment of ideological left-wing supporters inside and outside Venezuela portrays him as resisting U.S. imperialism and sanctions, so they frame criticism of him as foreign meddling or right-wing propaganda.

Impact of the U.S. attack and capture

  • The recent U.S. strikes and the reported capture of Maduro have shifted emotions from long-term anger at his rule to anxiety about military conflict, national sovereignty, and who will govern next.
  • Commentators note that while many Venezuelans want Maduro gone, they are also wary of becoming a battleground for foreign powers, and worry more about everyday survival than geopolitics.

Forum and online discussion vibes

  • In left-wing forums, discussions about the Venezuelan president are polarized: some defend him as a socialist leader under siege, while others on the left criticize his government’s authoritarianism and economic failures.
  • In broader online spaces, Venezuelan voices often express exhaustion, describing how political drama abroad often speaks “on their behalf” without addressing their lived reality of inflation, insecurity, and migration.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.