February 17, 1962 - Nicolás Maduro
Under Maduro's rule, Venezuela experienced one of the most severe economic collapses in modern Latin American history, marked by hyperinflation, widespread food and medicine shortages, and a mass emigration crisis affecting millions of citizens. His government's consolidation of power — ruling by decree after 2015 and surviving internationally contested elections — drew condemnation from democratic governments across the hemisphere. His eventual capture by U.S. forces and indictment on drug trafficking charges in 2026 reflected longstanding allegations that state institutions under his leadership had become entangled with narcotics networks.
From Wikipedia
Nicolás Maduro Moros (born 23 November 1962) is a Venezuelan politician and former union leader who became President of Venezuela in 2013. On 3 January 2026, US forces captured Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores; they were transported to the US and charged with drug trafficking to which they pleaded not guilty. Although he was de facto removed from power, according to the Venezuelan government and interim president Delcy Rodríguez, he is still the de jure president of Venezuela. Prior to his presidency, he served as the vice president of Venezuela under President Hugo Chávez from 2012 to 2013 and as minister of foreign affairs from 2006 to 2012.
Initially a bus driver, Maduro rose to become a trade union leader before being elected to the National Assembly in 2000. A member of the United Socialist Party (PSUV), he was appointed to a number of positions under Chávez, serving as President of the National Assembly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and vice president under Chávez. Maduro assumed the presidency after Chávez's death and won the 2013 special presidential election, becoming the 53rd president of Venezuela. He ruled Venezuela by decree after 2015 through powers granted to him by the ruling party legislature.
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