From bus driver to president, then capture: Nicolás Maduro’s rise and fall

Nicolás Maduro Moros (born November 23, 1962) is a Venezuelan politician who served as the president of Venezuela from 2013 until early 2026.

A central figure in the "Bolivarian Revolution," he was the handpicked successor of Hugo Chávez and presided over a period of significant economic collapse and political turmoil.

Maduro was born in Caracas into a working-class family with a history of labour activism; his father was a prominent trade union leader.

He attended the Liceo José Ávalos, a public high school in the El Valle neighbourhood, where he first became involved in politics as a member of the student union.

Records indicate that he did not graduate from high school, instead pursuing political training in Cuba in the mid-1980s.

Before his formal entry into government, Maduro worked as a bus driver for the Caracas Metro company. During this time, he founded an unofficial trade union and became a staunch supporter of Hugo Chávez.

When Chávez was imprisoned following a failed coup attempt in 1992, Maduro and his future wife, lawyer Cilia Flores, campaigned tirelessly for his release.

Following Chávez’s election as president in 1998, Maduro’s political career accelerated:

National Assembly: He was elected to the legislature in 1998 and served as the speaker of the National Assembly from 2005 to 2006.

Foreign Minister: From 2006 to 2012, he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs, where he worked to strengthen regional alliances and blunt U.S. influence.

Vice Presidency: In October 2012, as Chávez’s health declined, Maduro was appointed Vice President.

Following the death of Hugo Chávez in March 2013, Maduro assumed the interim presidency and narrowly won a special election later that year.

During his tenureVenezuela experienced one of the worst economic collapses in modern history, characterised by hyperinflation, severe shortages of food and medicine, and a massive exodus of over 7 million citizens.

Critics and international organisations accused his government of human rights abuses, suppressing dissent, and rigging elections. After the 2018 and 2024 elections, dozens of countries, including the U.S., refused to recognise him as the legitimate president.

The U.S. government imposed heavy sanctions on Maduro’s administration and, in 2020, indicted him on charges of narco-terrorism and corruption.

In January 2026, Maduro was removed from power following a military operation by U.S. forces. On January 3, 2026, he and his wife were captured in Caracas and transported to the United States.

He was taken to the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn to face trial in a Manhattan court on various criminal charges, including drug trafficking.

Maduro is married to Cilia Flores, a high-ranking politician in her own right who served as Attorney General and President of the National Assembly.

Maduro has one son from a previous marriage, Nicolás Maduro Guerra, and three stepchildren. He is known for his interest in the music of John Lennon and was a follower of the Indian guru Sathya Sai Baba.

The United States' refusal to recognise Nicolás Maduro as the legitimate president of Venezuela is based on a combination of electoral fraud allegations, criminal indictments, and geopolitical concerns. 

This position culminated in his capture by U.S. forces in early January 2026.

According to recent reports and official statements, the primary reasons the U.S. does not recognise him include:

The U.S. government maintains that Maduro lost the July 2024 election. While the government-controlled National Electoral Council declared Maduro the winner, the opposition provided tally sheets from over 80% of voting machines that showed a massive victory for opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia.

2018 Election

The U.S. and dozens of other nations had already labelled Maduro's 2018 re-election as a "sham," citing the banning of opposition parties and candidates, which led to the 2019 "interim presidency" of Juan Guaidó.

The U.S. views Maduro not as a legitimate head of state but as the leader of a criminal enterprise.

Since 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice has indicted Maduro and several high-ranking officials for allegedly leading the "Cartel of the Suns," a drug-trafficking organisation composed of military and political elites.

He is accused of "narco-terrorism conspiracy," conspiring to import tons of cocaine into the U.S. in partnership with the FARC (a Colombian guerrilla group), and weapons charges.