Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was sworn in for a third six-year term on Friday after an election he faces is widely accused of theft, having been ousted multiple times during a turbulent decade in power.
But the former bus driver is adamant.
With neither the charisma of his late revolutionary mentor Hugo Chávez nor abundant oil revenues, Maduro is accused of relying increasingly on security forces to maintain control.
More than 2,400 people have been arrested, 28 killed and nearly 200 injured in a crackdown on protests following his disputed victory claim in last July’s elections.
The violence echoed previous deadly crackdowns on the opposition in 2014, 2017 and 2019.
His third term could give him a chance to remain in power until 2031, a total of 18 years – four years more than Chávez.
But on the international stage he seems more isolated than ever.
Only a handful of countries – including perennial allies Russia and Cuba – have recognized his claim for re-election, with the United States and several Latin American neighbors declaring opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia the country’s rightful leader.
voting struggle
Tall, with a full mustache and slicked-back gray hair, Maduro’s image is plastered across buildings across Venezuela, where he presents himself as a down-to-earth man.
He served as a lawmaker, foreign minister and vice president before being chosen by Chávez as his successor three months before the socialist firebrand died of cancer in 2013.
The choice of Maduro, who lacks Chávez’s rhetorical skills, raised eyebrows in the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV).
He barely succeeded in his first election in 2013.
But he has weathered one crisis after another with the help of the army and paramilitary forces, even as the economy has collapsed due to falling oil prices, US sanctions and hyperinflation.
Since he took office, seven million Venezuelans – a quarter of the population – have voted with their feet and sought a better life abroad.
baseball and salsa
Born in Caracas, Maduro is an avowed Marxist and Christian, and as a teenager he played guitar in a rock band.
He is a baseball fan and dances salsa with his wife Cilia Flores, a former prosecutor, whom he refers to as the “First Combatant” – often showing the moves on state TV.
He has presented himself as an “activist speaker” and it has been claimed that he deliberately speaks English incorrectly so as not to be seen as arrogant.
As president, Maduro has faced numerous perceived and real threats – including a failed explosives-laden drone attack in 2018 that injured several soldiers.
He escaped US sanctions imposed over his 2018 re-election, which was also tainted by fraud allegations.
About 50 countries, including the United States, recognized congressman Juan Guaido as interim president but his parallel government later collapsed.
Maduro has been aided by close political and economic ties with China and Russia, which have helped keep his country afloat.
To avoid blame for Venezuela’s plight, he has espoused anti-American conspiracy theories about Chávez, accusing Washington of plotting to kill him and Western countries of ruining his once-thriving economy.
All the while, he has closed down avenues of political dissent, imprisoning dissidents and challengers without regard to due process.
Venezuela is under investigation for rights violations by the International Criminal Court.
But he has also shown himself to be an expert in real politics.
He secured the easing of US sanctions and other concessions by agreeing with the opposition to hold democratic elections in 2024.
But he reneged on the terms and some of the restrictions were rolled back last April.
To boost his ubiquitous real-life persona, Maduro has tried to endear himself to the long-suffering population by creating a popular TV and Internet cartoon character in his image.
Super-Bigot (Super-Mustache) is a caped superhero who is “at war with imperialism.”
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
