Nicolás Maduro is a Venezuelan politician who served as president of Venezuela from 2013 until his removal from power following his capture by U.S. forces, which effectively ended his rule after more than twelve years in office.

Who Maduro is

Maduro was born on 23 November 1962 in Caracas and began his working life as a bus driver and union organizer, which later helped him build a political base among workers. He rose through the ranks of the movement founded by Hugo Chávez, becoming a prominent ally and eventually Chávez’s chosen successor.

Path to the presidency

After Chávez’s death in March 2013, Maduro first became interim president and then won a special presidential election on 14 April 2013 with about 50.6% of the vote, in a result the opposition immediately disputed and demanded be recounted. He was officially inaugurated on 19 April 2013 and went on to secure subsequent terms through elections widely criticized as unfair or manipulated by domestic opponents and foreign governments.

Style of rule and crises

Maduro’s time in office was marked by severe economic and social crises, including hyperinflation, shortages of basic goods, mass emigration, and recurring political showdowns with the opposition-controlled National Assembly. Over the years he increasingly concentrated power, ruling for long periods by decree with support from loyal institutions and facing frequent accusations of authoritarianism and human rights abuses.

Recent developments and latest news

In a controversial 2024 election, authorities aligned with Maduro declared him the winner of a third term, while opposition vote tallies indicated their candidate Edmundo González had actually received the most votes. Maduro was sworn in again on 10 January 2025, deepening Venezuela’s political crisis, and later in 2025 the United States designated him a member of a foreign terrorist organization, further isolating his government internationally. His long grip on power ultimately ended when U.S. President Donald Trump announced that American forces had captured Maduro and flown him out of Venezuela, abruptly cutting short his rule after more than a decade.

How people talk about him

Supporters often stress his origins “from the people,” portraying him as a working-class socialist leader resisting U.S. and “imperialist” pressure while defending Venezuelan sovereignty. Critics, both inside Venezuela and abroad, describe him as a dictator whose government relied on sham elections, repression of opponents, and institutional manipulation to cling to power despite the country’s deepening collapse.

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