He has been the elected president of the Latin American country since 2013.
(Photo: AP)
caracas It’s amazing how long ex-bus driver and trade unionist Nicolás Maduro has been able to hold out. Since he took power in Venezuela ten years ago, gross domestic product has shrunk by 80 percent. Oil exports have practically come to a standstill. Venezuelans are hoping for a change when elections are held next year.
Officially, the West is also interested in this. Venezuela is on the US sanctions list because of Maduro’s election fraud – like Iran or Russia. The United States has put a $15 million bounty on Maduro’s head for drug trafficking.
At the same time, the West is testing what future cooperation with the dictator might look like. Venezuela has the largest oil reserves in the world. Since Russia dropped out as a supplier, these are all the more valuable.
Portugal and Spain have again sent their ambassadors to Venezuela. The US recently agreed to a prisoner swap: Venezuelan drug dealers from Maduro’s family for US oil workers.
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