How did Maduro rise to power?published at 13:48 GMT
13:48 GMT
Vanessa Buschschlüter
Latin America editor
Nicolás Maduro rose to prominence under the leadership of left-wing President Hugo Chávez and his United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV).
Maduro, a former bus driver and union leader, succeeded Chávez and was president from 2013 until he was seized by US forces on 3 January 2026.
During the 26 years that Chávez and Maduro were in power, their party gained control of key institutions including the National Assembly, much of the judiciary, and the electoral council.
In 2024, Maduro was declared winner of the presidential election, even though voting tallies collected by the opposition suggested that its candidate, Edmundo González, had won by a landslide.
González had replaced the main opposition leader, María Corina Machado, on the ballot after she was barred from running for office.
She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October for “her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy”.
Machado defied a travel ban and made her way to Oslo in December to collect the award after months in hiding.
She has been outside of Venezuela since but has vowed to return “soon”.
Image source, Getty Images