Political Leaders: Venezuela

Leaders of Venezuela
(Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela)

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Look for biographies of the leaders (in Spanish) at CIDOB website.

Parties: AD: Democratic Action - CN: National Convergence - COPEI: Social Christian Party - MUD: Democratic Unity Roundtable (multi-party coalition) - MVR: Movement for the V Republic - PJ: First Justice - PPT: Fatherland for All - PSUV: United Socialist Party of Venezuela - UNT: A New Era - URD: Democratic Republican Union - VP: Popular Will

Heads of State

President of the Republic
Isaías Medina Angarita           5 May 1941 - 19 Oct 1945 (†1953) military

Revolutionary Junta of Government
 -Rómulo E. Betancourt Bello                              (†1981) AD (chairman) 
 -Luis Beltrán Prieto Figueroa                            (†1993) AD
 -Carlos Román Delgado Chalbaud                           (†1950) military
 -Raúl Leoni Otero                                        (†1972) AD
 -Gonzalo Barrios Bustillos                               (†1993) AD
 -Mario Ricardo Vargas Cárdenas                           (†1949) military
 -Edmundo Fernández             19 Oct 1945 - 15 Feb 1948 (†1979) n/p       
         
President of the Republic
Rómulo Ángel Gallegos Freire    15 Feb 1948 - 24 Nov 1948 (†1969) AD    

Junta of Government 
 -Carlos Román Delgado Chalbaud                           (†1950) military (chairman to 13 Nov 1950)                             
 -Germán Suárez Flamerich                                 (†1990) n/p (chairman since 27 Nov 1950)
 -Marcos Evangelista Pérez Jiménez                        (†2001) military
 -Luis Felipe Llovera Páez      24 Nov 1948 -  2 Dec 1952 (†1977) military

President of the Republic
Marcos Evangelista Pérez Jiménez 2 Dec 1952 - 23 Jan 1958 (†2001) military (provisional to 19 Apr 1953)

Junta of Government (I)
 -Wolfgang Enrique Larrazábal Ugueto                      (†2003) military (chair)
 -Pedro José Quevedo Delgado                              (†2008) military
 -Roberto Casanova                                        (†1984) military (to 24 Jan)
 -Carlos Luis Araque                                      (†2008) military
 -Abel Romero Villate                                     (†1997) military (to 24 Jan)
 -Eugenio Mendoza Goiticoa                                (†1979) n/p (from 24 Jan to 19 May)  
 -Blas Lamberti Cano                                      (†1988) n/p (from 24 Jan to 19 May)           
 -Arturo Sosa Fernández                                   (†1996) n/p (from 19 May)
 -Edgar Sanabria Arcia          23 Jan 1958 - 14 Nov 1958 (†1989) n/p (from 19 May) 

Junta of Government (II)
 -Edgard Sanabria Arcia                                   (†1989) n/p (chair) 
 -Arturo Sosa Fernández                                   (†1996) n/p            
 -Miguel José Rodríguez Olivares                          (†1960) military
 -Carlos Luis Araque                                      (†2008) military
 -Pedro José Quevedo Delgado    14 Nov 1958 - 13 Feb 1959 (†2008) military
 
Presidents of the Republic
Rómulo Ernesto Betancourt Bello 13 Feb 1959 - 11 Mar 1964 (†1981) AD
Raúl Leoni Otero                11 Mar 1964 - 11 Mar 1969 (†1972) AD
Rafael Caldera Rodríguez        11 Mar 1969 - 12 Mar 1974 (†2009) COPEI 
Carlos Andrés Pérez Rodríguez   12 Mar 1974 - 12 Mar 1979 (†2010) AD    
Luis Antonio Herrera Campins    12 Mar 1979 -  2 Feb 1984 (†2007) COPEI
Jaime Lusinchi                   2 Feb 1984 -  2 Feb 1989 (†2014) AD    
Carlos Andrés Pérez Rodríguez    2 Feb 1989 - 31 Aug 1993 (†2010) AD    
Octavio Lepage Barreto          21 May 1993 -  5 Jun 1993 (†2017) AD (acting)
Ramón José Velásquez Mújica      5 Jun 1993 -  2 Feb 1994 (†2014) AD (interim) (1)
Rafael Caldera Rodríguez         2 Feb 1994 -  2 Feb 1999 (†2009) CN    
Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías         2 Feb 1999 - 12 Apr 2002 (†2013) MVR   
Pedro Carmona Estanga           12 Apr 2002 - 13 Apr 2002         n/p (2)
Diosdado Cabello Rondón         13 Apr 2002 - 14 Apr 2002         MVR (provisional) 
Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías        14 Apr 2002 -  5 Mar 2013 (†2013) MVR, PSUV   
Nicolás Maduro Moros             5 Mar 2013 -                     PSUV (acting to 19 Apr 2013, disputed, with partial intl. recognition) (3)
Juan Gerardo Guaidó Márquez     23 Jan 2019 -  5 Jan 2023         VP/MUD, n/p (acting, disputed, with partial intl. recognition) (3) (4)

(1) Acting for suspended Pérez to 31 Aug 1993 and then incumbent and interim president.
(2) Styled president of the Transitional Government on 12 Apr (hours), before being sworn in as president of the Republic with interim mandate.
(3) Nicolás Maduro was sworn in as president in charge (encargado) on 8 Mar 2013 and as incumbent, constitucional president on 19 Apr 2013. His presidency was disputed by opposition leader Juan Gerardo Guaidó Márquez From 23 Jan 2019 to 5 Jan 2023, and then by opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, self-proclaimed winner of the presidential elections held on 28 Jul 2024. Both Guaidó and Gonzalez were given partial international recognition.
(4) Officially styled in charge (encargado)

Executive Vicepresidents

Julián Isaías Rodríguez          24 Jan 2000 - 28 Dec 2000 (†2025) MVR
Adina Mercedes Bastidas Castillo 28 Dec 2000 - 13 Jan 2002         MVR               
Diosdado Cabello Rondón          13 Jan 2002 -  5 May 2002         MVR     
José Vicente Rangel Vale          5 May 2002 -  8 Jan 2007 (†2020) MVR          
Jorge Rodríguez Gómez             8 Jan 2007 -  6 Jan 2008         MVR                
Ramón Alonso Carrizalez Rengifo   6 Jan 2008 - 25 Jan 2010         MVR, PSUV                  
Elías José Jaua Milano           26 Jan 2010 - 13 Oct 2012         PSUV                      
Nicolás Maduro Moros             13 Oct 2012 -  5 Mar 2013         PSUV                 
Jorge Alberto Arreaza Monserrat   8 Mar 2013 -  6 Jan 2016         PSUV    
Aristóbulo Istúriz Almeida        6 Jan 2016 -  4 Jan 2017 (†2021) PSUV     
Tareck Zaidan El Aissami Maddah   4 Jan 2017 - 14 Jun 2018 	   PSUV 
Delcy Eloína Rodríguez Gómez     14 Jun 2018 -                     PSUV

Presidents of the National Assembly

William Lara                     2000-2003 (†2010) MVR
Francisco José Ameliach Orta     2003-2005         MVR
Nicolás Maduro Moros             2005-2006         MVR
Cilia Flores                     2006-2011         MVR, PSUV
Fernando Soto Rojas              2011-2012         PSUV
Diosdado Cabello Rondón          2012-2016         PSUV  
Henry Ramos Allup                2016-2017         AD/MUD
Julio Andrés Borges Junyent      2017-2018         PJ/MUD
Omar Enrique Barboza Gutiérrez   2018-2019         UNT/MUD
Juan Gerardo Guaidó Márquez      2019-2023         VP/MUD, n/p (IV Legislature, disputed)
Luis Eduardo Parra Rivero        2020-2021         Prociudadanos (V Legislature, disputed)
Jorge Jesús Rodríguez Gómez      2021-             PSUV (V Legislature, disputed)
Dinorah Figuera                  2023-             PJ/MUD (IV Legislature, disputed)

Presidents of the Constituent National Assembly (2017)

Delcy Eloína Rodríguez Gómez     2017-2018         PSUN
Diosdado Cabello Rondón          2018-2020         PSUN

Ministers of External Relations

Carlos Morales Fernández         1945-1947 (†1971)
Gonzalo Barrios Bustillos        1947-1948 (†1993) AD
Andrés Eloy Blanco Meaño         1948      (†1955) AD
Jacinto Fombona Pachano          1948      (†1951) (acting)               
Luis Emilio Gómez Ruiz           1948-1952 (†1966) n/p
Aureliano Otáñez Martínez        1952-1956 (†1975)
José Loreto Arismendi            1956-1958 (†1979)
Carlos Felice Cardot             1958      (†1986)
Óscar García Velutini            1958      (†1991)
René De Sola                     1958-1959 (†2018)
Ignacio Luis Arcaya Rivero       1959-1960 (†1990) URD
Marcos Falcón Briceño            1960-1964 (†1998) AD
Ignacio Iribarren Borges         1964-1969 (†1988) n/p
Arístides Calvani Silva          1969-1974 (†1986) COPEI
Efraín Schacht Aristeguieta      1974-1975 (†2007)
Ramón Escovar Salom              1975-1977 (†2008) AD
Simón Alberto Consalvi Bottaro   1977-1979 (†2013) AD
José Alberto Zambrano Velasco    1979-1984 (†2004) COPEI
Isidro Morales Paúl              1984-1985 (†2005) AD
Simón Alberto Consalvi Bottaro   1985-1988 (†2013) AD
Germán Nava Carrillo             1988-1989 (†1991) AD
Enrique Tejera París             1989      (†2015) AD
Reinaldo Figueredo Planchart     1989-1991         AD
Armando Durán Aché               1991-1992         AD
Humberto Calderón Berti          1992              COPEI
Fernando Antonio Ochoa Antich    1992-1994         n/p
Miguel Ángel Burelli Rivas       1994-1999 (†2003) URD
José Vicente Rangel Vale         1999-2001 (†2020) MVR                     
Luis Alfonso Dávila García       2001-2002         MVR
José Rodríguez Iturbe            2002              COPEI
Luis Alfonso Dávila              2002              MVR      
Roy Chaderton Matos              2002-2004         MVR       
Jesús Arnaldo Pérez              2004              
José Alí Rodríguez Araque        2004-2006 (†2018) PPT                   
Nicolás Maduro Moros             2006-2013         MVR, PSUV                           
Elías José Jaua Milano           2013-2014         PSUV                    
Rafael Darío Ramírez Carreño     2014              PSUV
Delcy Eloina Rodríguez Gómez     2014-2017         PSUV
Samuel Moncada                   2017              PSUV
Jorge Alberto Arreaza Monserrat  2017-2021         PSUV   
Félix Ramón Plasencia González   2021-2022         PSUV
Carlos Rafael Faría Tortosa      2022-2023
Yván Gil Pinto                   2023-             PSUV

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