Most Venezuelans have had very mixed, often polarized feelings about Nicolás Maduro, and those feelings have only intensified around his recent ouster and reported capture.

Public mood in Venezuela

Inside Venezuela, reactions range from relief and celebration to fear and uncertainty about what comes next.

  • Many ordinary Venezuelans who blamed Maduro for years of economic collapse and repression are openly celebrating his removal, seeing it as a long‑awaited chance for political change.
  • Others, including people who still identify with Chavismo or fear foreign intervention, are anxious about instability, possible violence, and who will actually govern the country now.

Views of Maduro’s rule (before his fall)

For years, public opinion was deeply split, with a large share of Venezuelans rejecting Maduro’s legitimacy but a loyal core still backing him.

  • Polling in recent years showed majorities saying he was not the country’s legitimate president and predicting his fall, reflecting broad fatigue with economic crisis and authoritarian tactics.
  • At the same time, pro‑government sectors, especially organized Chavista bases and some communal organizations, argued that Maduro still had the backing of an “organized, mobilized people” and saw him as defending the Bolivarian project under siege.

Diaspora and exile perspectives

Among Venezuelans abroad, especially those who left during the worst of the crisis, feelings about Maduro are overwhelmingly negative.

  • Large crowds of migrants and exiles have been celebrating his deposition in cities across the Americas and Europe, framing it as an end to a dictatorship that forced them to flee.
  • Even in these celebrations, there is a sober awareness that removing Maduro does not automatically fix Venezuela’s economy or institutions, so hope is mixed with concern about a chaotic transition.

Feelings about how he was removed

Many Venezuelans who opposed Maduro still feel uneasy about the way he was deposed and captured by foreign military action.

  • A significant portion of the population has long opposed direct U.S. military intervention, fearing more chaos, poverty, and a loss of sovereignty, even while criticizing Maduro.
  • Now, people are torn between joy at seeing him gone and anger or worry that his removal by outside force could undermine the legitimacy of whatever comes next.

In short

Overall, Venezuela does not “feel” one uniform way about Maduro:

  • Many feel joy and vindication at his downfall.
  • Many feel fear about instability and foreign control.
  • Almost everyone feels the weight of years of crisis and sees this moment as a turning point, whether they view Maduro as a deposed dictator or a fallen, besieged leader.

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