Nicolás Maduro

[[File:Venezuelan-Pres-Nicolas-Maduro.jpg.webp|thumb|160px|Maduro, resident strongman.]]{{Politics}}

His Excellency
 '''Nicolás Maduro Moros''' {{lived|1962}} is the former [[Dictator|president]] of [[Venezuela]] from 2013 until his removal in 2026, ruling the country with an iron fist as a brutal dictator. He adheres to a Venezuelan view of [[socialism]], and is influenced by his predecessor [[Hugo Chávez]]. Despite being the subject of intense western [[propaganda]], his legacy was a mixed bag before 2022. As an example, Maduro has resisted western [[imperialism]] and stood his ground against western taunting (mostly condemning such comments from the Trump administration).<ref>[https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/venezuela-s-maduro-trump-why-would-you-want-repeat-vietnam-n966531 Venezuela's Maduro to Trump: 'Why would you want a repeat of Vietnam?'] NBC News</ref> However, he has implemented several policies unsuccessfully, which he has mostly done almost nothing to mitigate.<ref>[https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2017/6/1/venezuela-why-i-oppose-nicolas-maduro Venezuela: Why I oppose Nicolas Maduro] Al Jazeera</ref>

[[Insane|As an example of the kind of person he is]], Maduro claimed Chávez himself appeared to him ([[Reincarnation|reincarnated]] as a [[bird]]) flying around him as a sign of him endorsing in his presidential run [[Bullshit|as a sign from god]].<ref>[https://www.huffpost.com/entry/nicolas-maduro-hugo-chavez-little-bird_n_3007965 Nicolás Maduro Assures Hugo Chávez Appeared To Him As A 'Little Bird' To Bless Him (VIDEO)] Huffington Post</ref>

==Started from the bottom, now we're here==
Maduro was born to a relatively stable [[working class]] family with [[left-wing]] politics, and was raised as a [[Roman Catholic]] (also having [[Jewish]] ancestry, which is extremely [[ironic]] because of his strong [[antisemitism]]).<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/23/world/americas/nicolas-maduro-chavezs-chosen-successor-draws-mixed-opinions.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 Waiting to See if a ‘Yes Man’ Picked to Succeed Chávez Might Say Something Else] New York Times</ref><ref>[https://www.timesofisrael.com/venezuelas-anti-semitic-leader-admits-jewish-ancestry/ Venezuela’s ‘anti-Semitic’ leader admits Jewish ancestry] The Times of Israel</ref> Maduro was considered a suspect by the Venezuelan authorities in the 1979 kidnapping of William Niehous, an American businessman who was head of Owens-Illinois in Venezuela, who was captured and held hostage by leftist militants who would later become Hugo Chávez's closest allies.<ref>[https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/william-niehous-survived-three-years-in-captivity-in-venezuela/article14976517/ William Niehous survived three years in captivity in Venezuela] The Globe and Mail</ref>

Before entering politics, Maduro had humble origins as a bus driver, eventually working his way to become a [[trade union]] leader. It was from there that his political career began, and he was elected to the National Assembly in 2000.<ref>[https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/venezuela-crisis/nicolas-maduro-path-bus-driver-venezuelan-president-n788121 Nicolas Maduro: The Path From Bus Driver to Venezuelan President] NBC News</ref> From there, Maduro moved to [[Cuba]] and lived in Havana, serving with fellow [[leftist]]s from various militant groups and even served as a mole for Cuban intelligence to observe Hugo Chávez's activities. He also served as a senior member of the [[Communist]] Party of Cuba and was close to [[Fidel Castro]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160306151531/http://www.eltiempo.com/archivo/documento/CMS-12742462 The 'dolphin' that will lead the Bolivarian revolution] El Tempo</ref>

==The good==
Under his presidency, Maduro has enacted several social programs aimed at decreasing [[poverty]] in his country, such as [[minimum wage]] increases and raising [[education]] rates.<ref>[https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-15/maduro-boosts-minimum-wage-by-43-to-quell-venezuela-protests Venezuela Boosts Minimum Wage by 43% to Quell Growing Protests] Bloomberg</ref> However, this policy was never fully and successfully implemented, and some outlets reported that his policies may have created even more economic inequality due to the taxes causing rising food and housing prices to skyrocket rather than causing the intended effect of alleviating them.<ref>[https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-05-01/maduro-asks-venezuela-to-resist-as-he-skips-minimum-wage-hike Maduro Asks Venezuela to ‘Resist’ as He Skips Minimum Wage Hike] Bloomberg</ref>

==The bad==
After Maduro won the election in 2013, he referred to his unmarried opponent, Henrique Capriles, as a "[[homosexual]]" and “a little princess, and loudly bragged at a rally “I do have a wife!”, “I like women!”. Maduro was widely condemned by various leftists for his remarks, and has since retracted them and apologized, claiming that he is not a [[homophobe]] and champions [[LGBT rights]].<ref>[https://world.time.com/2013/04/26/why-latin-americas-homophobic-leaders-should-stop-their-gay-bashing/ Why Latin America’s Homophobic Leaders Should Stop Their Gay Bashing] Time</ref>

In the 2015 election, Venezuela's legislature, the National Assembly, was won by Maduro's opposition, but the nation's supreme court was still controlled by Maduro.<ref name=faiola>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/fear-spreads-in-venezuela-ahead-of-planned-protest-of-controversial-election/2017/07/28/caef4bd4-73a0-11e7-8c17-533c52b2f014_story.html Fear spreads in Venezuela ahead of planned protest of controversial election] by Anthony Faiola & Mariana Zuñiga (July 28, 2017 at 8:32 p.m. EDT) ''The Washington Post''.</ref> In 2016, Maduro began having political opponents arrested for initiating a recall petition against him.<ref>[https://www.wsj.com/articles/venezuela-detains-activists-calling-for-maduro-s-ouster-group-says-1467828376 Venezuela Detains Activists Calling for Maduro's Ouster: Opposition party is trying to generate support for a referendum to remove the nation’s president amid severe food shortage] by Anatoly Kurmanaev (July 6, 2016 4:29 pm ET) ''The Wall Street Journal''.</ref> A 2017 election was marked by violence and widespread food shortages.<ref name=faiola/> The 2017 election was viewed by the United States as illegitimate and subsequently labeled Maduro as a [[dictator]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170801154443/https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/sm0137.aspx  Treasury Sanctions the President of Venezuela] (7/31/2017) ''U.S. Department of the Treasury'' (archived from August 1, 2017).</ref> Maduro has also been described by many other sources as a dictator.<ref>{{wpa|Nicolás Maduro#Dictatorship charges}}</ref>

Maduro has supported [[Russian invasion of Ukraine|Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine]], mostly because he sees the war as an opportunity to fill in the void of [[Fossil fuel|oil]] suppliers left by [[Russia]] after they became a pariah state because of the war. Maduro has also assured that Venezuela has strong support for Russia.<ref>[https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/ukraine-crisis-venezuela-assures-strong-support-to-russia-2797942 Ukraine Crisis: Venezuela Assures "Strong Support" To Russia] NDTV World</ref>

Maduro also has imperialist ambitions directed towards his neighbors, promising to annex most of Guyana as the final state of Venezuela (represented as a missing state on their country flag) and vowing to continue what Chavez started. Since February 2024, Maduro has stationed troops on the border between Venezuela and Guyana.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/09/venezuela-troops-guyana-border-essequibo-satellite-images Venezuela building up troops on Guyana border, satellite images show] The Guardian</ref>

Maduro has championed his shitty policies that starved his nation as a Venezuelan weight loss program, referred to as "the Maduro diet".<ref>[https://www.americasquarterly.org/article/the-maduro-diet-a-photo-essay-from-venezuela/ “The Maduro Diet”: A Photo Essay from Venezuela] Americas Quarterly</ref>{{onion}} When he gained major pushback from [[human rights]] groups, he attempted to ease the food shortage crisis by getting Venezuelans to eat rabbits. This moronic idea of a plan was met with significant backlash, both inside and outside of Venezuela.<ref>[https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2017/09/14/551026492/let-them-eat-rabbit-is-venezuelan-presidents-response-to-food-shortages Let Them Eat Rabbit Is Venezuelan President's Response To Food Shortages] NPR</ref>

Maduro has recently attempted to woo the [[Christian]] community in Venezuela in an effort to secure their votes in future elections, as they are a large voting bloc with considerable influence in Venezuelan politics (not unlike in the United States).<ref>[https://www.npr.org/2024/02/07/1226975641/venezuela-election-maduro-evangelical-vote Venezuela's leftist leader Maduro makes a play for evangelical voters] NPR</ref><ref>[https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-02-08/nicolas-maduro-places-his-faith-in-the-evangelical-churches.html Nicolás Maduro places his faith in the evangelical churches] El Pais</ref> Ironically, this is similar to the approach Trump is taking in regards to his voting bloc with American evangelicals (as they're well known for supporting authoritarians and dictators). And like Trump there is a dispute with the 2024 Venezuelan election results between Maduro and the opposition with allegations of a stolen election.<ref>[https://apnews.com/article/colombia-president-maduro-vote-count-venezuela-election-00d399b74300b6d1ed010bed9539a166 Venezuela’s Maduro asks top court to audit the presidential election, but observers cry foul] by Regina Carcia Cano & Gisela Salomon (9:08 PM PST, July 31, 2024) ''AP''.</ref><ref>[https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/venezuelans-vote-highly-charged-election-amid-fraud-worries-2024-07-28/  Venezuela's Maduro, opposition each claim presidential victory] by Vivian Sequera et al. (July 30, 202410:04 AM PDT) ''Reuters''.</ref> The opposition to Maduro published more than 80% of the election sheets from the election showing that the opposition leader Edmundo González had won the election conclusively, whereas Maduro refused to give any evidence for the election results.<ref>[https://br.usembassy.gov/assessing-the-results-of-venezuelas-presidential-election/ Assessing the Results of Venezuela’s Presidential Election] by Antony J. Blinken (August 1, 2024) U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Brazil''.</ref><ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/08/04/maduro-gonzalez-election-actas-analysis/ Maduro lost election, tallies collected by Venezuela’s opposition show Edmundo González likely beat President Nicolás Maduro in the July 28 election by millions of votes, a review of data from election receipts shows.] by Samantha Schmidt et al. (August 4, 2024 at 7:31 p.m. EDT) ''The Washington Post''.</ref> Maduro's returning to office after having lost the election represents a [[self-coup]].<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/11/venezuela-edmundo-gonzalez-nicolas-maduro-presidential-election Venezuelan opposition candidate accuses Nicolás Maduro of coup: Edmundo González, widely believed to have won July election, gives address after autocrat sworn in for third term] by Tom Phillips (11 Jan 2025 08.44 EST) ''The Guardian''.</ref>

==Captured by America==
On 3 January 2026 (exactly 36 years since [[Manuel Noriega]] was captured under similar circumstances), Maduro and his wife First Lady Cilia Flores were apprehended by US forces in what amounted to a blitzkrieg or a surgical operation codenamed '''Operation Absolute Resolve'''<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 3, 2026 |title=Nicolas Maduro's tight grip on Venezuela shaken loose by Trump blitz |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/newsmaker-nicolas-maduros-heavy-handed-rule-venezuela-is-finally-ended-by-trump-2026-01-03/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260103151009/https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/newsmaker-nicolas-maduros-heavy-handed-rule-venezuela-is-finally-ended-by-trump-2026-01-03/ |archive-date=January 3, 2026 |access-date=January 5, 2026 |work=Reuters}}</ref> on top of a wider military operation ostensibly purposed to purge alleged drug traffickers in the region. Maduro was previously indicted in 2020 for numerous drug trafficking charges and is currently detained in New York.<ref>[https://apnews.com/live/trump-us-venezuela-updates-01-03-2026. Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro arrives in New York after capture by US forces], 3 January 2026, ''Associated Press''.</ref> The attacks were unsurprisingly condemned by numerous states and officials who questioned its legality and purpose, especially when Trump publicly announced plans to exploit Venezuela for all its [[oil]] reserves, also stating that the United States would [[Imperialism|"run" the country]] until there was a transition of power.

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez was sworn in as acting president of the country following Maduro's capture and extradition.<ref name="Miller">{{Cite news |last=Miller |first=Leila |date=January 3, 2026 |title=Who is Delcy Rodriguez, the vice president that Trump says replaced Maduro? |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/who-is-delcy-rodriguez-vice-president-who-could-replace-venezuelas-maduro-2026-01-03/ |archive-url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/who-is-delcy-rodriguez-vice-president-who-could-replace-venezuelas-maduro-2026-01-03/ |archive-date=January 5, 2026 |access-date=January 5, 2026 |work=Reuters}}</ref> In spite of Trump's [[bullshit|assurances]] that Rodriguez would remain subservient to him, Delcy went on record to denounce what they perceived as a "kidnapping", described Maduro as Venezuela's "only president" and declared that Venezuela would "never again be a colony of any empire".<ref name="empire">{{citation |url=https://diariovea.com.ve/el-pueblo-tiene-claro-que-jamas-volvera-a-ser-esclavos-ni-colonia/ |title=¡Urgente! El pueblo tiene claro que jamás volverá a ser esclavo ni colonia |language=es |trans-title= |date=3 January 2026 |quote=Y el pueblo venezolano consciente, el pueblo venezolano con su fuego sagrado de la patria encendido, está indignado por lo que es el secuestro ilegal e ilegítimo del presidente y de la primera dama, primera combatienta Cilia Flores. |editor=Yuleidys Hernández Toledo |last=Rodríguez |first=Delcy |time=9:20}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Hugo Chávez]] - his predecessor, possibly more insane than even he.

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}} 

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maduro, Nicolás}}
[[Category:Antisemites]]
[[Category:Anti-Western]]
[[Category:Catholics]]
[[Category:Christians]]
[[Category:Christian atheists]]
[[Category:Communists]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theorist scapegoats]]
[[Category:Coups]]
[[Category:Dictators]]
[[Category:Government incompetence]]
[[Category:Homophobes]]
[[Category:Imperialists]]
[[Category:Internalized discrimination]]
[[Category:Irredentists]]
[[Category:Left-wing activists]]
[[Category:Left-wing nationalism]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Racists]]
[[Category:Socialists]]
[[Category:South American politicians]]
[[Category:Vatniks]]

Categories: Antisemites, Anti-Western, Catholics, Christians, Christian atheists, Communists, Conspiracy theorist scapegoats, Coups, Dictators, Government incompetence, Homophobes, Imperialists, Internalized discrimination, Irredentists, Left-wing activists, Left-wing nationalism, Living people, Racists, Socialists, South American politicians, Vatniks