Nicolas maduro biography wikipedia

A figure who has divided opinion, Mr Maduro was elected to a second term as leader in the highly disputed poll of 20 May with % of the vote.

Since taking power, he has been accused of undermining democracy and violating human rights in Venezuela, which is in the grip of a severe economic crisis and has seen inflation skyrocket.

The situation in the country has led to one of the largest mass migrations in Latin America's history.

But Mr Maduro, a political veteran who has been a member of Venezuela's parliament, the National Assembly, and at one point became the assembly's speaker, has blamed the crisis on an "economic war" waged by his opponents.

Venezuela has been in recession since , with triple-digit inflation and shortages of many basic goods.

Despite the outrage from within and beyond Venezuela, he remains a commanding figure there - and not just because of his m (6ft 3in) stature