CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela is currently facing unprecedented international criticism during his 12-year tenure. The self-proclaimed socialist leader is widely believed to have lost last year’s election by a significant margin, leading to accusations from the United States and other countries that the election was rigged. In response, Maduro resorted to using security forces to silence and detain his opponents.
Despite the controversy, Maduro is scheduled to be inaugurated for a third term on Friday, while his opposition challenger, who claims to have won the election, is preparing to return from exile. Since taking over from Hugo Chávez in 2012, Maduro has navigated various challenges, including a drone attack, mass protests due to the country’s economic collapse, an international investigation for human rights abuses, and accusations of drug trafficking.
The road ahead for Maduro appears daunting as he faces his toughest challenge yet, which will have a significant impact on the future of Venezuela’s struggling democracy. His journey from a working-class barrio in Caracas, torn between a passion for baseball and student activism, to becoming a prominent political figure, has been shaped by his radical upbringing and early association with Chávez.
Internationally, Maduro served as Venezuela’s foreign minister under Chávez, where he built alliances and worked towards smoothing over tensions with the U.S. Despite facing economic turmoil and political unrest upon assuming power in 2013, Maduro worked to stabilize the nation. However, his leadership has been marred by a collapsing economy, rampant inflation, and increased opposition from both within and outside the government.
Maduro’s presidency has been marked by both resilience and controversy, with his future as Venezuela’s leader hanging in the balance.
In 2018, the International Criminal Court launched a criminal investigation into potential crimes against humanity following a crackdown in Venezuela during the presidential race that year. The opposition boycotted the election after several of its leaders were disqualified from running. Many countries, led by the United States, condemned President Nicolás Maduro’s reelection as illegitimate and instead recognized Juan Guaidó, the head of the National Assembly, as the rightful leader of Venezuela. Subsequent unrest was fueled by the Trump administration’s imposition of “maximum pressure” through punitive oil sanctions. This period was marked by a covert operation led by a former U.S. Green Beret, a mutiny within a military barracks, and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite facing multiple crises, President Maduro managed to consolidate power, earning him the moniker “Super Bigote” in 2022, a nickname that paid homage to his distinctive thick black mustache and his perceived ability to overcome adversity. As he approached the 2024 election, Maduro displayed confidence despite opinion polls suggesting growing support for his relatively unknown opponent, Edmundo González. The president dismissed the polls as a tool wielded by his adversaries and the U.S. to sow instability in the country.
Following a disputed victory marred by allegations of electoral fraud, Maduro resorted to using security forces to target his political opponents. Recently, Edmundo González reported that his son-in-law had been abducted by masked individuals, while the prominent free speech lawyer Carlos Correa was also apprehended by masked assailants. The government has refrained from addressing these incidents.
Michael Shifter, a former president of the Inter-American Dialogue based in Washington, highlighted that such repressive actions could indicate vulnerability on Maduro’s part, potentially backfiring against him. Shifter underscored the pivotal role of the armed forces in determining the regime’s stability, drawing parallels to the unexpected downfall of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad. Venezuelans, according to Shifter, harbor hopes for change, recognizing the inherent unpredictability of authoritarian regimes like Maduro’s, which may crumble from internal pressures despite outward appearances of strength.
