Nicolás Maduro Moros is a Venezuelan politician and former union leader who served as the 53rd president of Venezuela from 2013 until his capture during the United States intervention in Venezuela in 2026 for alleged drug trafficking to which he pleaded not guilty. Originally elected democratically following the death of Hugo Chávez, he shifted toward authoritarian rule, with political analysts eventually classifying his government as a dictatorship in 2017. Although he was de facto removed from power, according to the Venezuelan government, he is still the de jure president of Venezuela. A member of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), he served as the vice president of Venezuela from 2012 to 2013 and as minister of foreign affairs from 2006 to 2012. Ideologically a Chavista, his developments to the ideology are called Madurismo.