Who is Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro?
Maduro has never matched the popularity of his predecessor Hugo Chavez - and critics say he is driving his country off a cliff.
Saturday 29 July 2017 09:00, UK
Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro's working life began as a bus driver.
A Cuban-trained communist union organiser, he was groomed by former leader Hugo Chavez to become his successor.
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He served as foreign minister and vice president to Chavez, a committed loyalist throughout his time in power.
He called himself the son of Chavez and the two shared the same hard-left political ideology.
Maduro worked to build an anti-US bloc of Latin American countries.
He accused the CIA of being behind his leader's cancer.
He pushed for closer ties with arch foes of the west, from Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe, to Muammar Gaddafi of Libya.
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Image: A riot security force member fires his weapon at a rally protesting against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government in Caracas -
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Image: Clashes break out as Venezuela鈥檚 opposition launches the national strike -
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Image: The strike is a final push to pressure President Nicolas Maduro into abandoning a weekend election for a super-congress -
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Image: A demonstrator prepares to throw tear gas -
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Image: A protester stands next to graffiti depicting the eyes of Venezuela's late President Hugo Chavez as she holds Molotov cocktails -
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But the two men have proven very different as leaders.
Maduro has never matched the popularity of his predecessor and mentor.
Chavez was charismatic and bombastic with a natural common touch, an ability to connect with and galvanise the masses.
The power of his popularity and brand gave his revolutionary far-left style of politics its own name - Chavismo.
Maduro has proven an unequal heir to that brand.
Chavez was an impossible act to follow; Maduro does not have the power of his personality.
But he also inherited an economy ravaged by years of Chavismo.
Britain's Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn may say he admires the economic policies pioneered by Chavez, but they have been disastrous for Venezuela.
Making matters worse for Maduro has been the drop in oil prices during his time in power.
His hard-left prescription for the failing economy has been profligate public spending - manageable when oil revenues are high, but not now.
Where does that leave the former bus driver now at the controls ?
He can for now at least rely on the loyalty of the military and security services.
They have benefited from the Chavez-Maduro years and are an integral part of the regime they support.
But to stay in power he must continue rewarding his supporters and also tolerate their kleptocratic corruption.
The economy will carry on collapsing, the protests will continue and the violence will escalate. Anarchic disorder will likely spread.
Chavez was able to use his populist appeal to stay in power and ride out the storms.
Maduro's popularity level is around the 20% mark. He now has only the levers of repression to maintain his grip on power, and he cannot depend on them forever.
He is the president whose working life started as a bus driver - critics say it is ending with him driving his country off a cliff.