Who is Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela's president?
Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro holds a copy of the Venezuelan constitution while he speaks during a meeting with members of the Venezuelan diplomatic corp after their arrival from the United States, at the Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela January 28, 2019. Miraflores Palace/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
Audio By Vocalize
Following are some
key facts about Nicolas
Maduro, the Venezuelan president who President Donald Trump said had been
captured by U.S. forces on Saturday.
Trump, whose
government has accused Maduro of running drug cartels and other crimes, had
been pressuring the strongman to leave office for months.
- Maduro was born
into a working-class family on November 23, 1962, son of a trade union leader.
He worked as a bus driver during the time army officer Hugo Chavez led a failed
coup attempt in 1992.
- He campaigned
for Chavez’s release from prison and became a fervent supporter of his leftist
agenda. He won a seat in the legislature following Chavez's 1998 election.
- He rose to
become president of the National Assembly and then foreign minister, travelling
the globe to build international alliances through oil-financed assistance
programs.
- Chavez named him
as his hand-picked successor and Maduro was narrowly elected president in 2013
following Chavez's death.
- His
administration oversaw a spectacular economic collapse characterized by
hyperinflation and chronic shortages. His rule became best known for allegedly
rigged elections, food shortages and rights abuses, including harsh crackdowns
on protests in 2014 and 2017. Millions of Venezuelans emigrated abroad.
- His government
was subject to aggressive sanctions by the U.S. and other powers. In 2020
Washington indicted him on corruption and other charges. Maduro rejected the
accusations.
- He was sworn in
for a third
term in January 2025 following a 2024 election that was widely
condemned by international observers and the opposition as fraudulent.
Thousands of people who protested the government's declaration of victory were
jailed.
- A U.N.
Fact-Finding Mission found last month that the country's Bolivarian National
Guard (GNB) committed serious human
rights violations and crimes against humanity over more than a decade
in targeting political opponents, often with impunity.
- His government's
repressive measures were highlighted by the award of the 2025 Nobel
Peace Prize to opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.
Leave a Comment