Nicolas Maduro is the president of Venezuela and has faced pressure from U. S. President Donald Trump, who accused him of crimes including running drug cartels. Maduro was born on November 23, 1962, to a working-class family and worked as a bus driver during Hugo Chavez’s failed coup in 1992. He became a strong supporter of Chavez, won a legislative seat in 1998, and later served as president of the National Assembly and foreign minister. Chavez named him as his successor, and Maduro was narrowly elected president in 2013 after Chavez’s death.
Under his leadership, Venezuela experienced a severe economic collapse marked by hyperinflation and shortages, along with allegations of rigged elections and human rights abuses. His government faced strict sanctions from the U. S., and in 2020, he was indicted on corruption charges, which he denied. He began a third term in January 2025 after an election that was denounced as fraudulent. A recent U. N. report found serious human rights violations by government forces against political opponents. The opposition leader Maria Corina Machado received the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, highlighting Maduro’s repressive actions.
With information from Reuters
