For around 13 years, Nicolas Maduro ruled Venezuela with an iron first, winning three straight presidential terms in elections widely questioned by international observers.On Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that Maduro and his wife had been captured and flown out of Venezuela after large-scale US strikes on the country.This marks an extraordinary end to a rule characterised by allegations of authoritarianism, human rights abuses and devastating economic crises.But who is Maduro and why has the US taken him?Who is Nicolás Maduro?Maduro was born in 1962 into a leftist family as the son of a union leader. He worked as a bus driver in Caracas and, following in his father’s footsteps, became a trade union negotiator. He soon became involved with Hugo Chavez’s United Socialist Party. After rising through the party’s trade union ranks, he was first elected to Venezuela’s National Assembly in 2000.His political rise ever since was swift. Maduro became head of the National Assembly in 2005 and foreign minister in 2006. He also served as vice president under Chavez from 2012 to 2013. Chavez handpicked Maduro to be his successor in 2011.Story continues below this adAlso Read | Before explosions in Venezuela’s Caracas, months of tensions over drugs, and an old US interest — oilAfter Chavez died of cancer in 2013, Maduro came to power after narrowly winning a special presidential election.His rise to power was far from smooth. Venezuela, rich in oil and strategically significant, became a battleground for political influence, particularly from the US, which viewed the country as a key area in its struggle against communist regimes. The US, echoing its actions in Cuba, Chile, and other Latin American nations during the Cold War, has long sought to undermine Maduro’s government through various means, including backing rival leaders such as Juan Guaido and, more recently, Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado.Tightening grip on powerMaduro inherited a government that had specialised in oil production without diversifying the economy, and was heavily reliant on imports for basic goods and services, including food and medicine.Story continues below this adThe crash in oil prices in 2014 sent the country’s economy into deep crisis, marked by hyperinflation and shortages of essential goods. The same year, widespread demonstrations erupted as the middle class expressed their discontent with his administration. By 2015, opposition parties gained control of the National Assembly, yet Maduro managed to retain power through strategic alliances with the Supreme Tribunal, the National Electoral Council, and the military.Between 2013 and 2016, food imports fell by 71% and medicines and medical equipment by 68%, while infant mortality increased by 44% according to data reported by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.The rate of inflation shot up from 255% in 2016, the year before the US sanctions were imposed, to a million per cent in September 2019. Maduro has blamed the sanctions for the economic crisis in his country. The average inflation rate in Venezuela is estimated to be around 225% in 2026. After the economic collapse, the crime rate doubled, including drug trafficking and corruption, and inflation multiplied — a situation made worse by West-imposed sanctions. Story continues below this adIn 2018, Maduro again won the presidency amid widespread condemnation as the devastating economic crisis continued to roil the country. In January 2019, US President Donald Trump officially declared pro-Washington opposition leader Juan Guaidó as the president.And, in 2024, Maduro was formally declared the winner in another presidential election that was marred by allegations of foul play. The opposition, led by Machado, alleged electoral fraud, while the government cracked down on opposition leaders.A 2024 report by Human Rights Watch stated that over 20 million Venezuelans, out of a population of 28.8 million, live in multidimensional poverty with inadequate access to food and essential medicines, and 14.2 million face severe humanitarian needs.Roughly eight million Venezuelans have left since 2014 due to a mix of factors including harsh economic conditions and persecution, the report said.Tensions with USStory continues below this adThe Congressional Research Service (CRS) notes that while the US and Venezuela had historically close relations, partly because the latter was a major US oil supplier, the frictions that started during Chavez’s rule were made worse under Maduro.The US saw the Chavez government as playing a role in undermining human rights and freedom of expression. Under Maduro, this was made worse because of his crackdowns on the opposition, media and civil society.Essentially, for over a decade now, the US has been concerned about the deterioration of human rights and democracy in Venezuela. To counter this, the US has repeatedly resorted to sanctions, which have included revocations of visas of Venezuelan officials and their families, financial sanctions and sanctions on the Maduro government.These tensions have ramped up in recent months as the Donald Trump administration carried out a series of strikes on Venezuelan “drug boats” in the Caribbean. The US also built up its military presence in the Caribbean sea. Maduro said Thursday that he was open to talks with the US on drug trafficking and oil, after weeks of an escalating pressure campaign against his government.Story continues below this adAnd finally on Saturday, Trump announced on Truth Social that the US had captured Maduro along with his wife.