Who is Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro?
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Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro (centre), First Lady Cilia Flores and Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez during Independence Day celebrations in Caracas on July 5, 2025.
PHOTO: AFP
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Here are some key facts about Mr Nicolas Maduro, the Venezuelan President who US President Donald Trump said had been captured by US forces
Mr Trump, whose government has accused Mr Maduro of running drug cartels and other crimes, had for months been pressuring the strongman to leave office
Mr Maduro was born into a working-class family on Nov 23, 1962, the 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.
Mr Maduro campaigned for Mr Chavez’s release from prison and became a fervent supporter of his leftist agenda. He won a seat in the legislature following Mr Chavez’s 1998 election.
Mr Maduro rose to become president of the National Assembly and then foreign minister, travelling the globe to build international alliances through oil-financed assistance programmes.
Mr Chavez named him as his hand-picked successor, and Mr Maduro was narrowly elected president in 2013 following Mr Chavez’s death.
Mr Maduro’s administration oversaw a spectacular economic collapse, characterised 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 subjected to aggressive sanctions by the US and other powers. In 2020, Washington indicted him on corruption and other charges. Mr 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 against the government’s declaration of victory were jailed.
A UN fact-finding mission in December found that the country’s Bolivarian National Guard 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.
REUTERS
