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The leader of the “Bolivarian Revolution,” a socialist political program for much of Latin America, named after Simón Bolívar, the South American independence hero.
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Chávez grew up in Sabaneta, a small town in the southwestern plains of Venezuela. He was the second of six surviving children, all boys. His parents, both schoolteachers, did not have enough money to support all their children.
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In 1971 Chávez entered the Venezuelan Military Academy in Caracas, the national capital, not because he wanted to be a soldier but because he dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player, and the academy had good baseball coaches.
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Chávez started his military career as a second lieutenant in the army. His first assignment was to capture the remaining leftist guerrillas.
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On February 4, 1992, Chávez and a group of military officers led an attempt to overthrow the government of Pres. Carlos Andrés Pérez. Unfortunately for Chávez, the rebellion quickly collapsed.
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Chávez was imprisoned without a court ruling for the attempted coup until 1994, when Pres. Rafael Caldera Rodríguez, bowing to Chávez’s growing popularity, dropped the charges against him.
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Chávez took office in February 1999. During his first year in office, his approval rating reached 80 percent, and his platform—which advocated an end to corruption, increased spending on social programs, and redistribution of the country’s oil wealth
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In December 2002 the opposition began a national strike designed to force Chávez to resign. At the centre of the strike was the state oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), which accounted for 80 percent of Venezuela’s export revenue. I
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In December 2006 Chávez was elected president for a third time, with 63 percent of the vote.
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In December 2012 Chávez underwent his fourth cancer surgery in Cuba. Before leaving for Cuba, Chávez had designated Vice President Nicolás Maduro as his successor should he not survive the surgery.
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Chávez died on March 5, and Maduro became interim president. Maduro then defeated Capriles in the special election on April 14 to choose a president to serve out the remainder of Chávez’s term.
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Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who won over the country’s poor with so-called “21st century socialism” during his 14-year rule, dies from cancer at 58. His preferred successor, Vice President Nicolas Maduro, takes office.
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Venezuelan security forces arrest well-known opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez on charges of fomenting unrest, after a wave of protests known as ‘The Exit,’ seeking to oust Maduro.
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Democratic Unity coalition wins control of Venezuela’s legislative body, the National Assembly, for the first time in 16 years, riding a wave of popular discontent with a prolonged recession and rising inflation after oil prices collapsed.
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Venezuela's Supreme Court, which has consistently sided with the ruling Socialist Party, announces here it is taking over the functions of the National Assembly. The court quickly walks back the decision amid international outcry.
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Mediation talks between the government and the opposition collapse amid disagreement over the timing of the next presidential election. The government announces the vote will be held in the first half of the year, and the main opposition parties pledge to boycott.
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Maduro goes ahead with his inauguration for a second six-year term, ignoring the advice of several Latin American governments. Juan Guaido, a virtually unknown here opposition lawmaker who assumed leadership of the largely toothless National Assembly days earlier, calls Maduro a "usurper."
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Guaido swears himself in here as interim president at the opposition's largest rally since 2017. He is recognized as the country's legitimate president by the United States and many of Venezuela's neighbors.
