The public portraits of Nicolás Maduro are varied and surprising. Sometimes he emphasizes his religious side and his connection to “God,” who he says protects him from heaven. In other cases, his former status as a “worker” stands out, a forced rewriting of the past: he was briefly a bus driver, although he is also—as he often points out with pride—a professional musician and stoner dancer. He also claims to be the “son” of Hugo Chávez, the “Bolivarian” and “socialist.”
Maduro was born in Caracas on November 23, 1962. State television has just broadcast a fictionalized biography of his political beginnings. Nicolás recreates his time in the rock band Enigma, his decision to leave baseball to devote himself to the revolution, his scholarship to study in Cuba, his work as a bodyguard for journalist and future vice president José Vicente Rangel and his beginnings in trade unionism. The emergence of Colonel Hugo Chávez on the national scene in 1992 was a turning point for him.
Chavista era
Chavismo triumphed in 1998, and the former bus driver was elected to the National Constituent Assembly that drafted the current Magna Carta. It then became part of the National Assembly. From 2006 to 2013, he served as foreign minister, a position that highlights the trust placed in him by Chavez, who named him his heir.
His death brought him to the center of a scene that was already showing signs of division. In April 2013, he beat Henrique Capriles Radonski by two points. The victory was not properly recognized. What happened was a struggle of dimensions with the opposition taking to the streets. The protests were not successful, but the electoral process was. In 2015, the anti-Maduro movement took control of parliament. The president responded by declaring a state of “economic emergency.” The opposition wants to call a referendum on the president’s impeachment. The government prevents it. The protest escalates with the saga of deaths in the streets.
Donald Trump’s arrival as US president made his administration more difficult. Sanctions began to rain down. Maduro called for elections. The elections were marred by illegitimacy. In January 2019, a little-known deputy, Juan Guaido, declared himself “responsible president.” However, part of the opposition recognized the political farce and began exploring other avenues that led to Sunday’s elections.
During his worst years in government, Maduro has strengthened his ties with Russia, China and Iran. The cost of his handling of power has had international consequences. In 2019, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights published a report that was highly critical of the killings and other repressive measures. As GDP collapsed by 75% and poverty reached unbearable levels, there was no shortage of predictions of an immediate and horrific end, but he is convinced he will remain president until 2030.
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