President Donald Trump has said the US now “runs” the oil-rich South American country and Maduro’s vice president was sworn in as acting president. For Venezuelans, both inside the country and abroad, it’s been a mix of emotions and a sense of uncertainty over what comes next. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (L) greets his Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello during a rally on February 4, 2025. Pedro Mattey/AFP/Getty ImagesThe Chavismo movement was established in 1999 when Hugo Chávez, the late Venezuelan president who was Maduro’s mentor and predecessor, first took power. Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado (L) gestures next to Venezuelan presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez (R) during a campaign rally in Barinas, Venezuela, on July 6, 2024.

Source: Egypt Independent January 13, 2026 09:20 UTC