Nicolás Maduro

Nicolás Maduro Moros (born 23 November 1962) is a Venezuelan politician and former union leader who served as the 53rd president of Venezuela from 2013 until his capture in 2026 to face drug trafficking charges to which he pleaded not guilty. Originally elected democratically following the death of Hugo Chávez, he shifted toward authoritarian rule, with political analysts eventually classifying his government as a dictatorship in 2017. A member of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), he served as the vice president of Venezuela from 2012 to 2013 and as minister of foreign affairs from 2006 to 2012. Ideologically a Chavista, his developments to the ideology are called Madurismo.

Initially a bus driver, Maduro rose to become a trade union leader before being elected to the National Assembly in 2000. He was appointed to a number of positions under Chávez, serving as President of the National Assembly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and vice president under Chávez. Maduro assumed the presidency after Chávez's death and won the 2013 special presidential election, becoming the 53rd president of Venezuela. He ruled Venezuela by decree after 2015 through powers granted to him by the ruling party legislature.

Maduro's popularity declined following shortages in Venezuela and a drop in living standards which led to a wave of protests in 2014 that escalated into daily marches nationwide and repression of dissent. An opposition-led National Assembly was elected in 2015, but Maduro maintained power through the Supreme Tribunal, the National Electoral Council (CNE) and the military. The Supreme Tribunal stripped the elected National Assembly of power and authority, resulting in a constitutional crisis and another wave of protests in 2017. In response to the protests, the Constituent Assembly of Venezuela was elected in 2017 under voting conditions that the opposition alleged were irregular.

In 2018, Maduro was reelected and sworn in. The president of the National Assembly, Juan Guaidó, was declared interim president by the opposition legislative body, starting a presidential crisis. In 2024, Maduro was reelected for a third term, though evidence showed that he lost the election by a wide margin. In 2026, he was seized in a U.S. military raid at his residence and transported to the U.S. to face drug trafficking charges. Delcy Rodríguez assumed power as acting president, though both she and Maduro insist that he is still the de jure president.