Nicolás Maduro Biography

Childhood & Early Life

Nicolás Maduro Moros was born on 23 November 1962, in Caracas, Venezuela. His father Nicolás Maduro Garcia was a leftist trade union leader, while his mother was Teresa de Jesus Moros. He was raised as Roman Catholic. He has three sisters, Maria Teresa, Josefina, and Anita. He attended a public school named ‘Liceo José Ávalos.’ He showed signs of following in his father’s footsteps by getting involved in Student Union at school, soon becoming its president. He developed an early interest in politics as well. He did not complete his schooling and started working after dropping out.

Career

Nicolás Maduro initially worked as a bus driver for several years, after having found employment with the ‘Caracas Metro Company.’ His political career began in the 1980s, after he formed an informal labor syndicate to represent the bus drivers of the company. Later, he was also employed as a bodyguard by José Vicente Rangel during his presidential campaign. During the early-1990s, he joined the ‘Revolutionary Bolivarian Movement- 200,’ also known as the ‘MBR-200.’ He campaigned for the release of Hugo Chávez when the latter was in prison due to his revolutionary actions.

In 1998, Maduro was elected to the Venezuelan Chamber of Deputies. In 2000, he was elected to the National Assembly as an MP. In 2005, he was elected as the Speaker. The following year, Maduro was appointed as the foreign minister, although he had no knowledge on any foreign languages. The stances of his foreign policy included support for Libya, which at the time was under Dictator Muammar Gaddafi’s rule. Maduro held the role of foreign minister till he was appointed as the vice president of Venezuela in 2012 when Hugo Chavez won the presidential election. Two months later, Chavez, who had a history of cancer, announced that he was suffering from cancer. He also stated that should his condition worsen, Maduro would be the one to succeed him as he had proven himself to be a capable leader.

Chavez died on 5 March 2013 and Maduro assumed the duties of the president. According to the Venezuelan Constitution, a presidential election should be held within 30 days should a president die within the first four years of his term. Maduro, being the candidate of the ‘Socialist Party,’ narrowly defeated his opposition candidate Henrique Capriles. Nicolas Maduro was formally appointed the president of Venezuela on 19 April 2013. He appointed Jorge Arreaza as his vice president.

Policies

The ‘Safe Homeland’ program was one of the most significant programs launched under Maduro’s rule. It was a massive police and military campaign to beef up security in the country as Venezuela had one of the highest rates of homicides in Latin America. According to the government, the program reduced homicides by 55%. However, the ‘Venezuela Violence Observatory’ stated that the crime rate actually increased under Maduro’s government. Maduro continued his predecessor’s economic policies. He received criticism as the country faced a high inflation rate as well as shortages of goods under his rule. Maduro retaliated by blaming capitalism, and said that he was fighting an economic war. However, his words were criticized and deemed impractical. The country topped the highest misery index in 2013, 2014, and 2015. The nation’s economy entered a recession in 2014. China, being Venezuela’s second largest trade partner, provided economic assistance in form of billions of dollars in loan. However, it was believed that China was actually investing for strategic reasons, rather than for ideological similarities. To add to Venezuela’s woes, the diplomatic relations with America worsened under Maduro’s rule, and Venezuela was declared by the US as a threat to its security.

Controversies

Nicolas Maduro has voiced his opinion on the so-called conspiracies against him and his government on several occasions. Even assassination and coup attempts have been claimed by the Venezuelan government, though the theories have never had any real evidence. It is believed that such conspiracy theories are actually strategies to distract the people from the real problems of the country. Maduro has also accused the American government of attempting to overthrow him. After the arrest of lawyer and politician Antonio Ledezma in early 2015, American tourists were forced to go through strict travel requirements. Once again in 2016, Maduro claimed that the US was assisting the opposition with a coup attempt. However, his claims lacked evidence, and wasn’t believed by most of the public. On several occasions, Maduro has also been criticized for his homophobic comments. He had used homophobic verbal attacks on the members of the opposition during the presidential campaign of 2013. In 2016, two nephews of his wife were found guilty of illicit activities, such as drug trafficking. It was assumed that the funds earned through such activities helped Maduro during his presidential campaign. It was also said that the funds helped his government stay in power.

Personal Life & Legacy

Nicolas Maduro is married to Cilia Flores, a lawyer and politician. She had replaced him as the president of the National Assembly after his resignation in 2006. The two had been romantically involved since the 1990s, and their marriage took place in July 2013. He was previously married to Adriana Guerra Angulo. Maduro has a son named Nicolás Maduro Guerra, whom he had appointed in several senior government posts, including Chief of Presidency’s Special Inspector’s Body, and head of the National Film School.

Trivia

Despite being raised a Roman Catholic, Maduro has been reported to be a follower of Sathya Sai Baba, a renowned Indian spiritual guru and philanthropist. In 2014, Maduro was named in ‘TIME’ magazine’s list of ‘100 Most Influential People.’