After six years in the National Assembly, Maduro was made foreign minister, before being appointed vice-president six years later. When Chávez died of cancer in 2013, he named the burly, moustachioed Maduro as his successor. The political opposition, including the now-Nobel Peace prizewinner María Corina Machado, called for street protests in Caracas and other cities. In the 2018 presidential election, Maduro ran virtually unopposed and was declared winner, but dozens of countries did not recognise him. Protests were crushed and the National Assembly swore in Maduro for a third term in January 2025.

Source: Irish Examiner January 03, 2026 16:59 UTC