President Donald Trump announced that Maduro had been captured on Saturday.
Trump, whose administration accused Maduro of running drug cartels and other crimes, had been pressing him to step down for months.
Born on November 23, 1962, into a working-class family, Maduro is the son of a trade union leader. He worked as a bus driver during Hugo Chávez’s failed 1992 coup attempt and later campaigned for Chávez’s release from prison.
Maduro became a close supporter of Chávez’s leftist agenda and won a seat in the legislature after Chávez’s 1998 election. Over time, he rose to become president of the National Assembly and then foreign minister, travelling globally to secure alliances through oil-financed programs.
In 2012, Chávez named Maduro as his chosen successor. He was narrowly elected president in 2013 after Chávez’s death.
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During his presidency, Venezuela suffered a severe economic collapse with hyperinflation, food shortages, and allegations of rigged elections. His rule also included violent crackdowns on protests in 2014 and 2017, forcing millions to emigrate.
In 2016, Maduro declared a state of economic emergency, followed by a constitutional emergency. Critics accuse him of being a dictator who jailed or blocked opposition leaders. The US and other powers imposed sanctions, and a reward of up to Rs50,000,000 was offered for his capture, which Maduro denied.
He began his third term in January 2025 after elections widely condemned as fraudulent. Protests were violently suppressed, and thousands were jailed.
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A UN Fact-Finding Mission reported that the Bolivarian National Guard committed serious human rights violations and crimes against humanity over more than a decade, often targeting political opponents with impunity.
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, has emerged as a key figure in the political battle after Maduro’s capture. Venezuela now faces an uncertain future as the nation and the region watch closely.
