President of Venezuela

Nicolás Maduro, President of Venezuela (elected on Apr 14, 2013; re-elected on May 20, 2018 with 67.8% of the vote)

Nicolás Maduro Moros (Spanish pronunciation: [nikoˈlaz maˈðuɾo ˈmoɾos]; born 23 November 1962) is a Venezuelan politician who is the current President of Venezuela. He was previously the Vice President of Venezuela and the Minister of Foreign Affairs under President Hugo Chávez.

A former bus driver, Maduro rose to become a trade union leader, before being elected to the National Assembly in 2000. He was appointed to a number of positions within the Venezuelan Government under Chávez, ultimately being made Foreign Minister in 2006. He was described during this time as the “most capable administrator and politician of Chávez’s inner circle”.

After Chávez’s death was announced on 5 March 2013, Maduro assumed the powers and responsibilities of the President. A special election was held on 14 April of the same year to elect a new President, which Maduro won by a tight margin as the candidate of the United Socialist Party; he was formally inaugurated on 19 April. His main opponent in that election was Henrique Capriles, the Governor of Miranda. The constitutionality of his assumption of power and his election to the office has been questioned by the opposition.

Maduro is married to Cilia Flores, a lawyer and politician who replaced Maduro as President of the National Assembly in August 2006, when he was resigned to become Minister of Foreign Affairs; she became the first woman to serve as President of the National Assembly.

Full bio: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicol%C3%A1s_Maduro

Hugo Chávez, Former President of Venezuela (died on Mar 6, 2013)

Vice President Nicolas Maduro will assume the presidency in the interim until the elections take place.

On October 8, 2012 Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez wins a 4th term in office by defeating the opposition leader Henrique Capriles.

Hugo Chávez was born July 28, 1954, in Sabaneta, Barinas, Venezuela. Both his parents were school teachers. From an early age, Hugo was sent to live with his paternal grandmother in Sabaneta. There Hugo attended elementary school at the Julián Pino School. Later, Chavez attended high school at the Daniel Florencio O’Leary School in the town of Barinas. Chávez enrolled at the Venezuelan Academy of Military Sciences at 17 years old and graduated in 1975. Later, Chavez studied political science at Caracas’ Simón Bolívar University.

After studies, Chávez initially entered active-duty military duty. His military career lasted 17 years and included several decorations.

On February 4, 1992, Hugo Chavez lead a coup to overthrow a government that was unpopular with the people and had used brutal methods to supress the population. Altough the coup failed, Chavez become a national hero of the people. Chávez was sent to Yare prison. In 1994, Chavez was pardoned by President Rafael Caldera.

In 1998, Chávez started his campaign for the Presidency of Venezuela. In 1998, Chávez won the Presidential election with a massive 56% of the vote. On February 2, 1999, Chávez took the presidential oath of office. In the year 2,000, Hugo Cavez again run and won the Presidentional election with an increased vote of 60%.