thumb|right|300px|The [[Miraflores Palace is the president's official workplace, the center of the administration, and a prominent symbol of the office.]]
Under the Venezuelan Constitution, the president of Venezuela is the head of state and head of government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. As chief of the executive branch and face of the government as a whole, the presidency is the highest political office in the country by influence and recognition. The president is also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The president is directly elected through a popular vote to a six-year term. Since the 2009 constitutional referendum, any person can be elected to the office an indefinite number of times. Upon the death, resignation, or removal from office of an incumbent president, the vice president assumes the office. The president must be at least 30 years of age, and has to be a "natural born" citizen of Venezuela, and cannot possess any other citizenship.
This list includes persons who have led the nation following the establishment of the independent State of Venezuela following its separation from Gran Columbia. José Antonio Páez, the first president, was inaugurated on 13 January 1830. Antonio Guzmán Blanco served during the most terms, with three. Juan Vicente Gómez has served during the longest (although interrupted by interim presidencies), with over 27 years. Rómulo Betancourt served from 1959 until 1964. Hugo Chávez served the longest uninterrupted and uncontested period in office with 11 consecutive years, from his restoration to power in April 2002 until his death in March 2013.
The presidency was disputed between Juan Guaidó and Nicolás Maduro from January 2019 to 2023 during the Venezuelan presidential crisis. Maduro was elected to his first term in 2013 but received backlash from opposing Venezuelans and some members of the international community especially the United States. Maduro was accused of authoritarian rule and fraud in the elections that were held on 20 May 2018. Guaidó, the president of the National Assembly of Venezuela, took the oath of office as interim president on 23 January 2019, citing Article 233 of the Constitution of Venezuela to "cease the usurpation, hold a transitional government, and call for new elections". The office remained disputed until December 2022 when opposition parties voted to dissolve the Guaidó government effective as of 5 January 2023.
Previous history
Following Venezuela's declaration of independence from Spanish colonial rule, which took effect on 5 July 1811. Owing to the profound confusion of the Venezuelan War of Independence and the period of Gran Colombia over what is now Venezuela, this page does not include national leaders between 1811 and 1830.
The first president in 1811 was actually the president of a triumvirate of the first established Republic of Venezuela that rotated the presidency weekly. The person serving as president during the week of July 5 was one of the signatories of the Declaration of Independence: Cristóbal Mendoza. Mendoza shared the triumvirate with and . A second triumvirate followed on 3 April 1812, whose members were Francisco Espejo, and Francisco Javier Ustariz.
Following this period of triumvirates, historians refer to the Republic of Venezuela as the Second Republic of Venezuela (1813–1814) and the Third Republic of Venezuela (1817–1819) as Simón Bolívar twice reestablished the republic. The Congress of Angostura appointed Bolívar "Supreme Commander of the Republic of Venezuela" (Jefe Supremo de la República de Venezuela) from 1819 until 1830.
In 1830, José Antonio Páez declared Venezuela independent from Gran Colombia and became president, taking office on 13 January 1830. Although he was not the first president of Venezuela (having in mind Cristóbal Mendoza in 1811), he was the first head of state of independent Venezuela, after the dissolution of Gran Colombia.
Affiliation keys
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan="2" |Abbreviation
! Party name (English)
! Party name (Spanish)
! Years
|-
| bgcolor=#ed2939|
| PC
| Conservative Party
| Partido Conservador
| 1830–1851, 1890–1892
|-
| bgcolor=gold|
| PL
| Liberal Party
| Gran Partido Liberal de Venezuela
| 1851–1858, 1859–1861, 1868–1869, 1870–1887, 1888–1890, 1892, 1898–1899
|-
|
| Military
| Venezuelan Armed Forces
| Fuerza Armada Nacional de la República de Venezuela
| 1858–1859, 1861–1868, 1869–1870, 1892–1898, 1899–1913, 1922–1929, 1931–1935, 1948–1950, 1952–1958
|-
| bgcolor=#ccc|
| —
| Independent politician
| Político independiente
| 1859, 1868, 1887–1888, 1913–1922, 1929–1931, 1935–1941, 1950–1952, 1958–1959
|-
| bgcolor="#545aa7" |
| PDV
| Venezuelan Democratic Party
| Partido Democrático Venezolano
| 1941–1945
|-
|
| AD
| Democratic Action
| Acción Democrática
| 1945–1948, 1959–1969, 1974–1979, 1984–1994
|-
| bgcolor="#228b22" |
| COPEI
| COPEI
| Comité de Organización Política Electoral Independiente
| 1969–1974, 1979–1984
|-
| bgcolor="#adff2f" |
| National Convergence
| National Convergence
| Convergencia Nacional
| 1994–1999
|-
| bgcolor="#cc0000" |
| MVR-PSUV
| Fifth Republic Movement–United Socialist Party
| Movimiento Quinta República-Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela
| 1999–present
|}
Presidents of Venezuela since independence (1830–present)
The list below includes interim "caretaker" as well as regular serving presidents, and democratically installed presidents as well as those installed by other means (e.g.; Marcos Pérez Jiménez).
State of Venezuela (1830–1864)
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! colspan="11" |30px|border President of the State of Venezuela 25px
|-
! rowspan=2| Portrait
! rowspan=2| Name<br />
! colspan=3| Term of office
! colspan=2 rowspan=2| Political party
! rowspan=2| Elected
! rowspan=2| Government
! rowspan=2| Vice President
! rowspan=2|
|-
! Took office
! Left office
! Time in office
|-
| rowspan="3" | frameless|upright=0.4
| rowspan="3" | José Antonio Páez<br />
|style="background:#e6e6aa;"| 13 January 1830
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| 6 May 1830
| rowspan="3" |
! rowspan="3" style="background:;" |
| rowspan="3" | Conservative Party
| rowspan="2" style="background:#e6e6aa;" | —
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| Interim
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| None
| rowspan="3" |
|-
| 6 May 1830
| 24 March 1831
| rowspan="3" | Páez I
| Diego Bautista Urbaneja<br />
|-
| 24 March 1831
| 20 January 1835
|
| Andrés Narvarte<br />
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Andrés Narvarte<br />
| 20 January 1835
| 9 February 1835
|
! style="background:;" |
| Conservative Party
| —
| None
|
|-
| frameless|upright=0.4
| José María Vargas<br />
| 9 February 1835
| 9 July 1835
|
! style="background:;" |
| Conservative Party
|
| rowspan="4" | Vargas
| Andrés Narvarte<br />
|
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Santiago Mariño<br />
| 9 July 1835
| 27 July 1835
|
! style="background:;" |
| Military
| Revolution of the Reforms
| None
|
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| frameless|upright=0.4
| José María Carreño<br />
| 27 July 1835
| 20 August 1835
|
! style="background:;" |
| Conservative Party
| —
| None
|
|-
| frameless|upright=0.4
| José María Vargas<br />
| 20 August 1835
| 24 April 1836
|
! style="background:;" |
| Conservative Party
| —
| Andrés Narvarte<br />
|
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Andrés Narvarte<br />
| 24 April 1836
| 20 January 1837
|
! style="background:;" |
| Conservative Party
| —
| Interim
| None
|
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| frameless|upright=0.4
| José María Carreño<br />
| 27 January 1837
| 11 March 1837
|
! style="background:;" |
| Conservative Party
| —
| Interim
| Carlos Soublette
|
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Carlos Soublette<br />
| 11 March 1837
| 1 February 1839
|
! style="background:;" |
| Conservative Party
| —
|
| None
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | frameless|upright=0.4
| rowspan="2" | José Antonio Páez<br />
| rowspan="2" | 1 February 1839
| rowspan="2" | 28 January 1843
| rowspan="2" |
! rowspan="2" style="background:;" |
| rowspan="2" | Conservative Party
| rowspan="2" | 1839
| rowspan="2" | Páez II
| Carlos Soublette<br />
|
|-
| Santos Michelena<br />
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | frameless|upright=0.4
| rowspan="2" | Carlos Soublette<br />
| rowspan="2" | 28 January 1843
| rowspan="2" | 20 January 1847
| rowspan="2" |
! rowspan="2" style="background:;" |
| rowspan="2" | Conservative Party
| rowspan="2" | 1843
| rowspan="2" |
| Santos Michelena<br />
|
|-
| Diego Bautista Urbaneja<br />
|
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Diego Bautista Urbaneja<br />
| 20 January 1847
| 1 March 1847
|
| style="background:;" |
| Conservative Party
| —
| Interim
| None
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | frameless|upright=0.4
| rowspan="2" | José Tadeo Monagas<br />
| rowspan="2" | 1 March 1847
| rowspan="2" | 20 January 1851
| rowspan="2" |
! style="background:;" |
| Conservative Party
| rowspan="2" | 1846
| rowspan="2" | T. Monagas I
| Diego Bautista Urbaneja<br />
| rowspan="2" |
|-
! style="background:;" |
| Liberal Party
| Antonio Leocadio Guzmán<br />
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Antonio Leocadio Guzmán<br />
| 20 January 1851
| 5 February 1851
|
! style="background:;" |
| Liberal Party
| —
| Interim
| None
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | frameless|upright=0.4
| rowspan="2" | José Gregorio Monagas<br />
| rowspan="2" | 5 February 1851
| rowspan="2" | 20 January 1855
| rowspan="2" |
! rowspan="2" style="background:;" |
| rowspan="2" | Liberal Party
| rowspan="2" | 1850
| rowspan="2" | G. Monagas
| Antonio Leocadio Guzmán<br />
|
|-
| Joaquín Herrera<br />
|
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Joaquín Herrera<br />
| 20 January 1855
| 31 January 1855
|
! style="background:;" |
| Liberal Party
| —
| Interim
| None
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | frameless|upright=0.4
| rowspan="2" | José Tadeo Monagas<br />
| rowspan="2" | 31 January 1855
| rowspan="2" | 15 March 1858
| rowspan="2" |
! rowspan="2" style="background:;" |
| rowspan="2" | Liberal Party
| 1854
| rowspan="2" | T. Monagas II
| rowspan="2" | Pedro Gual
| rowspan="2" |
|-
| 1857
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Pedro Gual<br />
| 15 March 1858
| 18 March 1858
|
! style="background:;" |
| Conservative Party
| —
| Interim
| None
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | frameless|upright=0.4
| rowspan="2" | Julián Castro<br />
| 18 March 1858
| 9 July 1858
| rowspan="2" |
! rowspan="2" style="background:;" |
| rowspan="2" | Military
| March Revolution
| rowspan="2" |
| rowspan="2" | Manuel Felipe de Tovar
| rowspan="2" |
|-
| 9 July 1858
| 7 June 1859
| 1858
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Manuel Felipe de Tovar<br />
| 7 June 1859
| 13 June 1859
|
! style="background:;" |
| Liberal Party
| —
| Interim
| None
|
|-
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Julián Castro<br />
| 13 June 1859
| 2 August 1859
|
! style="background:;" |
| Military
| —
|
| Manuel Felipe de Tovar
|
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Pedro Gual<br />
| 2 August 1859
| 29 September 1859
|
! style="background:;" |
| Conservatice Party
| —
| Interim I
| Manuel Felipe de Tovar
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | frameless|upright=0.4
| rowspan="2" | Manuel Felipe de Tovar<br />
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| 29 September 1859
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| 10 April 1860
| rowspan="2" |
! rowspan="2" style="background:;" |
| rowspan="2" | Liberal Party
|style="background:#e6e6aa;"| —
| rowspan="2" | de Tovar
|style="background:#e6e6aa;"| None
| rowspan="2" |
|-
| 10 April 1860
| 20 May 1861
| 1860
| Pedro Gual
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Pedro Gual<br />
| 20 May 1861
| 29 August 1861
|
! style="background:;" |
| Conservative Party
| —
|
| None
|
|-
| frameless|upright=0.4
| José Antonio Páez<br />
| 29 August 1861
| 15 June 1863
|
! style="background:;" |
| Military
| Coup d'état
| Páez III
| None
|
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Juan Crisóstomo Falcón<br />
| 15 June 1863
| 22 April 1864
|
! style="background:;" |
| Military
| —
|
| Antonio Leocadio Guzmán
|
|}
United States of Venezuela (1864–1953)
Following the end of the Federal War the Treaty of Coche was signed which provided for the drafting of a new federalist constitution. A constituent assembly was assembled in La Victoria which drafted the document and a new Congress assembled in December of 1863.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! colspan="11" |30px|border President of the United States of Venezuela 25px
|-
! rowspan=2| Portrait
! rowspan=2| Name<br />
! colspan=3| Term of office
! colspan=2 rowspan=2| Political party
! rowspan=2| Elected
! rowspan=2| Government
! rowspan=2| Vice President
! rowspan=2|
|-
! Took office
! Left office
! Time in office
|-
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Juan Crisóstomo Falcón<br />
| 22 April 1864
| 25 April 1868
|
! style="background:;" |
| Liberal Party
| 1864
|
| rowspan="25"
|
|-style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Manuel Ezequiel Bruzual<br />
| 25 April 1868
| 28 June 1868
|
! style="background:;" |
| Liberal Party
| —
| Interim
|
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| frameless|upright=0.4
| José Tadeo Monagas<br />
| 28 June 1868
| 18 November 1868
|
! style="background:;" |
| Military
| Blue Revolution
| rowspan="4" | Blue Government
|
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Guillermo Tell Villegas<br />
| 28 June 1868
| 20 February 1869
|
! style="background:;" |
| Liberal Party
| —
|
|-
| frameless|upright=0.4
| José Ruperto Monagas<br />
| 20 February 1869
| 16 April 1870
|
! style="background:;" |
| Military
| 1869
|
|-style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Guillermo Tell Villegas<br />
| 16 April 1870
| 27 April 1870
|
! style="background:;" |
| Liberal Party
| —
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | frameless|upright=0.4
| rowspan="2" | Antonio Guzmán<br />
| 27 April 1870
| 15 April 1873
| rowspan="2" |
! rowspan="2" style="background:;" |
| rowspan="2" | Liberal Party
| April Revolution
| rowspan="2" | Guzmán I
| rowspan="2" |
|-
| 15 April 1873
| 27 February 1877
| 1872
|-
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Francisco Linares<br />
| 27 February 1877
| 30 November 1878
|
! style="background:;" |
| Liberal Party
| 1877
| Linares
|
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| frameless|upright=0.4
| <br />
| 30 November 1878
| 15 December 1878
|
! style="background:;" |
| Liberal Party
| —
| Interim
|
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| frameless|upright=0.4
| José Gregorio Valera<br />
| 15 Dedember 1878
| 26 February 1879
|
! style="background:;" |
| Liberal Party
| —
| Valera
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | frameless|upright=0.4
| rowspan="2" | Antonio Guzmán<br />
| 26 February 1879
| 17 March 1882
| rowspan="2" |
! rowspan="2" style="background:;" |
| rowspan="2" | Liberal Party
| Revindictating Revoltuion
| rowspan="2" | Guzmán II
| rowspan="2" |
|-
| 17 March 1882
| 26 April 1884
| 1882
|-
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Joaquín Crespo<br />
| 26 April 1884
| 27 April 1886
|
! style="background:;" |
| Liberal Party
| 1884
| Crespo I
|
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
|
| <br />
| 27 April 1886
| 15 September 1886
|
! style="background:;" |
| Liberal Party
| —
| Interim
|
|-
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Antonio Guzmán<br />
| 15 September 1886
| 8 August 1887
|
! style="background:;" |
| Liberal Party
| 1886
| Guzmán III
|
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Hermógenes López<br />
| 8 August 1887
| 2 July 1888
|
! style="background:;" |
| Independent
| —
| Interim
|
|-
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Juan Pablo Rojas<br />
| 2 July 1888
| 19 March 1890
|
! style="background:;" |
| Liberal Party
| 1888
| Rojas
|
|-
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Raimundo Andueza<br />
| 19 March 1890
| 17 June 1892
|
! style="background:;" |
| Liberal Party
| 1890
| Andueza
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Guillermo Tell Villegas<br />
| 17 June 1892
| 31 August 1892
|
! style="background:;" |
| Liberal Party
| —
| Villegas III
|
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Guillermo Tell Villegas Pulido<br />
| 31 August 1892
| 7 October 1892
|
! style="background:;" |
| Liberal Party
| —
| Villegas Pulido
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | frameless|upright=0.4
| rowspan="2" | Joaquín Crespo<br />
| 7 October 1892
| 14 March 1894
| rowspan="2" |
! style="background:;" |
| Military
| Legalist Revolution
| rowspan="2" | Crespo II
|-
| 14 March 1894
| 28 February 1898
! style="background:;" |
| Liberal Party
| 1894
|-
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Ignacio Andrade<br />
| 28 February 1898
| 20 October 1899
|
! style="background:;" |
| Liberal Party
| 1897
| Andrade
|
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| frameless|upright=0.4
| <br />
| 20 October 1899
| 22 October 1899
|
! style="background:;" |
| Liberal Party
| —
| Interim
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | frameless|upright=0.4
| rowspan="3" | Cipriano Castro<br />
| 20 October 1899
| 1 March 1902
| rowspan="3" |
! rowspan="3" style="background:;" |
| rowspan="3" | Military
| Restorative Liberal Revolution
| rowspan="3" | Castro
| rowspan="3" | Juan Vicente Gómez
| rowspan="3" |
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1 March 1902
| rowspan="2" | 19 December 1908
| 1901
|-
| 1904
|-
| rowspan="2" | frameless|upright=0.4
| rowspan="2" | Juan Vicente Gómez<br />
| 19 December 1908
| 3 June 1910
| rowspan="2" |
! rowspan="2" style="background:;" |
| rowspan="2" | Military
| 1908 coup d'état
| rowspan="11" | Gómez
| rowspan="5"
| rowspan="2" |
|-
| 3 June 1910
| 5 August 1913
| 1910
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| frameless|upright=0.4
| José Gil<br />
| 5 August 1913
| 19 April 1914
|
! style="background:;" |
| Independent
| —
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | frameless|upright=0.4
| rowspan="2" | Victorino Márquez<br />
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| 19 April 1914
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| 5 May 1915
| rowspan="2" |
! rowspan="2" style="background:;" |
| rowspan="2" | Independent
|style="background:#e6e6aa;"| —
| rowspan="2" |
|-
| 5 May 1915
| 24 June 1922
| 1915
|-
| rowspan="3" | frameless|upright=0.4
| rowspan="3" | Juan Vicente Gómez<br />
| rowspan="3" | 24 June 1922
| rowspan="3" | 30 May 1929
| rowspan="3" |
! rowspan="3" style="background:;" |
| rowspan="3" | Military
| rowspan="3" | 1922
| Juan Crisóstomo Gómez<br />
| rowspan="3" |
|-
| José Vicente Gómez Bello<br />
|-
| rowspan="11"
|-
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Juan Bautista Pérez<br />
| 30 May 1929
| 13 June 1931
|
! style="background:;" |
| Independent
| 1929
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | frameless|upright=0.4
| rowspan="2" | Juan Vicente Gómez<br />
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| 13 June 1931
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| 7 July 1931
| rowspan="2" |
! rowspan="2" style="background:;" |
| rowspan="2" | Military
|style="background:#e6e6aa;"| —
| rowspan="2" |
|-
| 7 July 1931
| 17 December 1935
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | frameless|upright=0.4
| rowspan="2" | Eleazar López<br />
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| 18 December 1935
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| 30 June 1936
| rowspan="2" |
! rowspan="2" style="background:;" |
| rowspan="2" | Independent
|style="background:#e6e6aa;"| Interim
| rowspan="2" |
| rowspan="2" |
|-
| 30 June 1936
| 5 May 1941
| 1936
|-
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Isaías Medina<br />
| 5 May 1941
| 18 October 1945
|
! style="background:;" |
| Democratic Party
| 1941
|
|
|-
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Rómulo Betancourt<br />
| 18 October 1945
| 15 February 1948
|
! style="background:;" |
| Democratic Action
| 1945 Coup
|
|
|-
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Rómulo Gallegos<br />
| 15 February 1948
| 24 November 1948
|
! style="background:;" |
| Democratic Action
| 1947
| Gallegos
|
|-
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Carlos Delgado<br />
| 24 November 1948
| 13 November 1950
|
! style="background:;" |
| Military
| 1948 Coup
| Delgado
|
|-
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Germán Suárez<br />
| 27 November 1950
| 2 December 1952
|
! style="background:;" |
| Independent
| Acting President
| Suárez
|
|}
Republic of Venezuela (1953–1999)
Venezuela took the name of Republic of Venezuela () with the adoption of the 1953 constitution, written by the Constituent Assembly elected in November 1952. The Presidents of Venezuela under this constitution (as well as the 1961 Constitution, which kept the name) were officially styled as President of the Republic of Venezuela.
This period of the history of Venezuela began with the dictatorship of Marcos Pérez Jiménez. After a short period of political instability following Pérez Jiménez's exile in 1958, democracy was restored in the country with the election of Democratic Action leader Rómulo Betancourt as president in 1959. This marked the beginning of the democratic period, started with the Puntofijo Pact and which was characterized by the prevalence of the bipartidism of the two main political parties in the country at the time, Democratic Action and Copei.
The second presidency of Carlos Andrés Pérez (1989–93) saw a deep economic crisis, a series of major riots known as the Caracazo in 1989, in which hundreds were killed by security forces, two coup attempts in 1992, and the 1993 impeachment of Pérez. That same year, Rafael Caldera became the first President of Venezuela not to belong to either Democratic Action or Copei in over forty years, having been elected under the banner of National Convergence. The bipartidism ended in 2000 when a new constitution entered in force.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! colspan="10" |30px|border President of the Republic of Venezuela 25px
|-
! rowspan=2| Portrait
! rowspan=2| Name<br />
! colspan=3| Term of office
! colspan=2 rowspan=2| Political party
! rowspan=2| Elected
! rowspan=2| Government
! rowspan=2|
|-
! Took office
! Left office
! Time in office
|-
| rowspan="2" | frameless|upright=0.4
| rowspan="2" | Marcos Pérez<br />
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| 2 December 1952
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| 19 April 1953
| rowspan="2" |
! rowspan="2" style="background:;" |
| rowspan="2" | Military
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| —
| rowspan="2" | M. Pérez
| rowspan="2" |
|-
| 19 April 1953
| 23 January 1958
| 1952
|-
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Wolfgang Larrazábal<br />
| 23 January 1958
| 14 November 1958
|
! style="background:;" |
| Independent
| 1958 Coup
|
|
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Edgar Sanabria<br />
| 14 November 1958
| 13 February 1959
|
! style="background:;" |
| Independent
| —
|
|
|-
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Rómulo Betancourt<br />
| 13 February 1959
| 11 March 1964
|
! style="background:;" |
| Democratic Action
| 1958
| Betancourt II
|
|-
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Raúl Leoni<br />
| 11 March 1964
| 11 March 1969
| 5 years
! style="background:;" |
| Democratic Action
| 1963
| Leoni
|
|-
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Rafael Caldera<br />
| 11 March 1969
| 12 March 1974
|
! style="background:;" |
| Copei
| 1968
| Caldera I
|
|-
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Carlos Andrés Pérez<br />
| 12 March 1974
| 12 March 1979
| 5 years
! style="background:;" |
| Democratic Action
| 1973
| C. Pérez I
|
|-
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Luis Herrera Campins<br />
| 12 March 1979
| 2 February 1984
|
! style="background:;" |
| Copei
| 1978
| Campins
|
|-
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Jaime Lusinchi<br />
| 2 February 1984
| 2 February 1989
| 5 years
! style="background:;" |
| Democratic Action
| 1983
| Lusinchi
|
|-
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Carlos Andrés Pérez<br />
| 2 February 1989
| 21 May 1993
|
! style="background:;" |
| Democratic Action
| 1988
| C. Pérez II
|
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Octavio Lepage<br />
| 21 May 1993
| 5 June 1993
|
! style="background:;" |
| Democratic Action
| —
| Interim
|
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Ramón J. Velásquez<br />
| 5 June 1993
| 2 February 1994
|
! style="background:;" |
| Democratic Action
| 1993
| Interim
|
|-
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Rafael Caldera<br />
| 2 February 1994
| 2 February 1999
| 5 years
! style="background:;" |
| National Convergence
| 1993
| Caldera II
|
|}
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (1999–present)
Venezuela became the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela () with the adoption of the 1999 constitution, which renamed the country in honor of Simón Bolívar. The new constitution was promulgated by President Hugo Chávez, who served from 1999 until his death in 2013. The new constitution augmented the presidential term from five years to six years.
Chávez's presidency was interrupted shortly in 2002 following a failed coup attempt that put Pedro Carmona in office for a day. After government-loyal forces ousted Carmona from Miraflores, Vice President Diosdado Cabello executive control for a couple of hours until Chávez could be restored. In 2009, a constitutional referendum approved the elimination of term limits, which allowed Chávez to be re-elected again in 2012. However, Chávez died in March 2013, only three months into his fourth term, and was succeeded by his Vice President Nicolás Maduro, who was elected the following month to finish Chávez's term, enforcing the majority of Chávez's economic policies.
Under Maduro, Venezuela has seen a rise in unemployment, shortages of goods, closures of several corporations, and the deterioration of productivity. Maduro – who has seen a sharp decline in his approval ratings in correlation to the economic collapse, and was the subject of a 2016 recall referendum to remove him from office that was later suspended – has been criticized for what opponents consider to be him backsliding the country towards a full-fledged authoritarian regime; this led to an ongoing constitutional crisis stemming from a March 2017 ruling by the Supreme Tribunal of Justice (whose members largely consist of Maduro supporters) that removed immunity for National Assembly members (including those opposing Maduro), which subsequently made a brief assumption of legislative powers from the Assembly, and the Constituent Assembly election, which resulted in the formation of a Constituent Assembly intended to rewrite the 1999 constitution. These actions have worsened tensions and sparked violence during protests against the Maduro administration over concerns that Maduro would eliminate or significantly erode the independence of Venezuela's democratic institutions and shift the country towards one-man rule.
<!---->
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
! colspan="11" |30px|border President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela 25px
|-
! rowspan=2| Portrait
! rowspan=2| Name<br />
! colspan=3| Term of office
! colspan=2 rowspan=2| Political party
! rowspan=2| Elected
! rowspan=2| Government
! rowspan=2| Vice President
! rowspan=2|
|-
! Took office
! Left office
! Time in office
|-
| rowspan="4" | frameless|upright=0.4
| rowspan="4" | Hugo Chávez<br />
| rowspan="4" | 2 February 1999
| rowspan="4" | 12 April 2002
| rowspan="4" |
! rowspan="4" style="background:;" |
| rowspan="4" | Fifth Republic Movement
| rowspan="2" | 1998
| rowspan="2" |
|
| rowspan="2" |
|-
| Isaías Rodríguez<br />
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2000
| rowspan="2" |
| Adina Bastidas<br />
| rowspan="2" |
|-
| Diosdado Cabello<br />
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Pedro Carmona<br />
| 12 April 2002
| 13 April 2002
|
! style="background:;" |
| Independent
| 2002 Coup
| Carmona
| None
|
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Diosdado Cabello<br />
| 13 April 2002
| 14 April 2002
|
! style="background:;" |
| Fifth Republic Movement
| —
|
| None
|
|-
| rowspan="5" | frameless|upright=0.4
| rowspan="5" | Hugo Chávez<br />
| rowspan="5" | 14 April 2002
| rowspan="5" | 5 March 2013
| rowspan="5" |
! rowspan="4" style="background:;" |
| rowspan="4" | Fifth Republic Movement<br />
| —
|
| José Vicente Rangel<br />
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2006
| rowspan="4" |
| Jorge Rodríguez<br />
| rowspan="3" |
|-
| Ramón Carrizalez<br />
|-
| Elias Jaua<br />
|-
! style="background:;" |
| United Socialist Party<br />
| 2012
| Nicolás Maduro
|
|-
| rowspan="7" | frameless|upright=0.4
| rowspan="7" | Nicolás Maduro<br />
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| 10 December 2012
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| 5 March 2013
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|
! rowspan="7" style="background:;" |
| rowspan="7" | United Socialist Party
| style="background:#e6e6aa;" rowspan="2" | —
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|
| style="background:#e6e6aa;" rowspan="2" | None
| style="background:#e6e6aa;" rowspan="2" |
|-
| style="background:#e6e6aa;" | 5 March 2013
| style="background:#e6e6aa;" | 19 April 2013
| style="background:#e6e6aa;" |
| style="background:#e6e6aa;" |
|-
| rowspan="5" | 19 April 2013
| rowspan="5" | Incumbent
| rowspan="5" |
| rowspan="3" | 2013
| rowspan="3" |
| Jorge Arreaza<br />
| rowspan="3" |
|-
| Aristóbulo Iztúriz<br />
|-
| Tareck El Aissami<br />
|-
| 2018
| Maduro II
| rowspan="2" | Delcy Rodríguez
|-
| 2024<br />
|
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Delcy Rodríguez<br />
| 5 January 2026
| Incumbent
|
! style="background:;" |
| United Socialist Party
| —
|
| None
|
|}
Disputed
The process and results of the May 2018 Venezuelan presidential election were widely disputed. The opposition-majority National Assembly declared Maduro a "usurper" of the presidency on the day of his second inauguration and disclosed a plan to set forth its president, Juan Guaidó as the succeeding acting President of the country under article 233 of the Venezuelan Constitution. A week later, the Supreme Tribunal of Justice declared that the presidency of the National Assembly was the "usurper" of authority and declared the body to be unconstitutional. Special meetings of the OAS on 24 January and in the United Nations Security Council on 26 January were held but no consensus was reached. Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres called for dialogue. During the 49th General Assembly of the Organization of American States, on 27 June, Guaidó's presidency was recognized by the organization.
Guaidó was declared acting president and swore himself in on 23 January. Maduro's government has accused the United States of organizing a coup d'état to remove him and take control of the country's oil reserves. Guaidó rejects the characterization of his actions as a coup, saying that his movement is backed by peaceful volunteers. As of June 2019, Guaidó was recognized as the acting President of Venezuela by 54 countries. Internationally, support has followed traditional geopolitical lines, with allies China, Cuba, Iran, Russia, Syria, and Turkey supporting Maduro; and the US, Canada, and most of Western Europe supporting Guaidó as acting president. The United Nations continued to recognize the Maduro presidency as the legal representative of Venezuela as of December 2019.
On 22 December 2022, the Venezuelan opposition held an initial vote to remove Guaidó's interim government from its leadership and on 30 December 2022, three of the four main opposition political parties (Justice First, Democratic Action and A New Era) approved a reform to dissolve the interim government and instead create a commission of five members to manage foreign assets, stating the failure of the interim government to achieve the goals it had set. The amendment was voted by the opposition as deputies sought a united strategy ahead of the presidential elections in 2024 with the reform approved with 72 votes in favor, 29 against and 8 abstentions, thus dissolving the Guaidó government effective 5 January 2023.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! colspan="10" |30px|border President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela 25px
|-
! rowspan=2| Portrait
! rowspan=2| Name<br />
! colspan=3| Term of office
! colspan=2 rowspan=2| Political party
! rowspan=2| Elected
! rowspan=2| Government
! rowspan=2|
|-
! Took office
! Left office
! Time in office
|-
| rowspan=2| frameless|upright=0.4
| rowspan=2| Juan Guaidó<br />
| rowspan=2| 23 January 2019
| rowspan=2| 5 January 2023
| rowspan=2|
! style="background:;" |
| Popular Will<br />
| rowspan=2| —
| rowspan=2| Guaidó
| rowspan=2|
|-
! style="background:;" |
| Independent<br />
|-
| frameless|upright=0.4
| Edmundo González<br />
| 10 January 2025
| Incumbent
|
! style="background:;" |
| Independent
| 2024<br />
|
|
|}
Timeline
See also
- List of current heads of state and government
- List of vice presidents of Venezuela
Notes
References
External links
- Official portal for the President
- Official government site (Government Online)