List of presidents of Venezuela facts for kids

The president of Venezuela is the main leader of the country. They are both the head of state (the symbolic leader) and the head of government (the one who runs the country day-to-day). This job is the most important political position in the country. The president is also the top commander of the armed forces.

People vote directly for the president. They serve for a six-year term. Since 2009, a president can be elected many times. If a president leaves office, the vice president takes over. To be president, a person must be at least 30 years old. They must also be a natural-born citizen of Venezuela and not have citizenship in any other country.

Venezuela has had 46 different people serve as president since 1830. Some presidents, especially before 1953, served more than once. José Antonio Páez was the first president in 1830. Antonio Guzmán Blanco served three times. Juan Vicente Gómez held the office for over 27 years, though not always continuously. Hugo Chávez served for 11 years without interruption, from 2002 until his death in 2013.

From 2019 to 2023, there was a disagreement over who was the rightful president. Nicolás Maduro was elected in 2013. However, the results of the 2018 election were questioned by many. Juan Guaidó, who was the head of the National Assembly, claimed to be the interim president in January 2019. He said he was following the constitution to create a temporary government and call for new elections. Many countries recognized Guaidó as the acting president, while others continued to support Maduro. This situation ended in December 2022 when opposition parties voted to end Guaidó's interim government, effective January 5, 2023.

The Miraflores Palace is the president's official workplace, the center of the administration, and a prominent symbol of the office.

A Look Back: Venezuela's Presidential History

Early Leaders: From Independence to the State of Venezuela

Venezuela declared its independence from Spanish rule on July 5, 1811. The very first president was part of a group of three leaders called a "triumvirate." They took turns being president each week. Cristóbal Mendoza was the president during the week of July 5, 1811. He was one of the people who signed the Declaration of Independence.

There were many changes and wars during this time, like the Venezuelan War of Independence. Because of this, there are some missing records of leaders between 1813 and 1819. During these years, Simon Bolivar helped create the Second Republic of Venezuela and the Third Republic of Venezuela. From 1819 to 1830, Simón Bolívar was known as the "Supreme Commander of the Republic of Venezuela."

In 1830, José Antonio Páez announced that Venezuela was fully independent from a larger country called Gran Colombia. He became president on January 13, 1830. While Cristóbal Mendoza was the first to hold a presidential role in 1811, José Antonio Páez was the first leader of an independent Venezuela.

Political Parties in Venezuela

This table helps you understand the different political groups that presidents belonged to over time.

Leaders of Venezuela Since Independence (1830–Present)

This list includes all people who have served as president of Venezuela since 1830. It includes both regular presidents and those who served temporarily.

State of Venezuela (1830–1864)

President of the State of Venezuela
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political party		Elected	Government	Ref.
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		José Antonio Páez (1790–1873)	13 January 1830	20 January 1835	5 years, 7 days		Conservative Party	—	Interim
								1831 [es]	Páez I
—		Andrés Narvarte (1781–1853) acting	20 January 1835	9 February 1835	20 days		Conservative Party	—	Páez I
2		José María Vargas (1786–1854)	9 February 1835	9 July 1835	150 days		Conservative Party	1835 [es]	Vargas
—		José María Carreño (1792–1849) acting	27 July 1835	20 August 1835	55 days		Conservative Party	—
(3)		José María Vargas (1786–1854)	20 August 1835	24 April 1836	248 days		Conservative Party	—
—		Andrés Narvarte (1781–1853) acting	24 April 1836	20 January 1837	271 days		Conservative Party	—	Interim
—		José María Carreño (1792–1849) acting	27 January 1837	11 March 1837	43 days		Conservative Party	—	Interim
—		Carlos Soublette (1789–1870) acting	11 March 1837	1 February 1839	1 year, 327 days		Conservative Party	—	Interim [es]
(1)		José Antonio Páez (1790–1873)	1 February 1839	28 January 1843	3 years, 361 days		Conservative Party	1839	Páez II
(5)		Carlos Soublette (1789–1870)	28 January 1843	20 January 1847	3 years, 357 days		Conservative Party	1843	Soublette II [es]
6		José Tadeo Monagas (1784–1868)	20 January 1847	5 February 1851	4 years, 16 days		Conservative Party	1847	T. Monagas I [es]
7		José Gregorio Monagas (1795–1858)	5 February 1851	20 January 1855	3 years, 349 days		Liberal Party	1851	G. Monagas [es]
(6)		José Tadeo Monagas (1784–1868)	20 January 1855	15 March 1858	3 years, 54 days		Liberal Party	1855	T. Monagas II [es]
—		Pedro Gual (1783–1862) acting	15 March 1858	18 March 1858	2 days		Liberal Party	—
—		Julián Castro (1810–1875) acting	18 March 1858	2 August 1859	1 year, 137 days		Military	—	Interim [es]
—		Pedro Gual (1783–1862) acting	2 August 1859	29 September 1859	58 days		Independent	—	Interim I
10		Manuel Felipe de Tovar (1803–1866)	29 September 1859	20 May 1861	1 year, 233 days		Liberal Party	1860	de Tovar
—		Pedro Gual (1783–1862) acting	20 May 1861	29 August 1861	101 days		Liberal Party	—	Interim II [es]
(1)		José Antonio Páez (1790–1873)	29 August 1861	15 June 1863	1 year, 290 days		Military	—	Páez III
11		Juan Crisóstomo Falcón (1820–1870)	15 June 1863	25 April 1868	4 years, 315 days		Military	1864	Falcón [es]

The United States of Venezuela: A New Era (1864–1953)

President of the United States of Venezuela
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political party		Elected	Government	Ref.
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
(11)		Juan Crisóstomo Falcón (1820–1870)	15 June 1863	25 April 1868	4 years, 315 days		Military	—	Falcón [es]
—		Manuel Ezequiel Bruzual (1832–1868) acting	25 April 1868	28 June 1868	64 days		Independent	—	Interim
—		Guillermo Tell Villegas (1823–1907) acting	28 June 1868	20 February 1869	237 days		Liberal Party	—	the Blue
14		José Ruperto Monagas (1831–1880)	20 February 1869	16 April 1870	1 year, 55 days		Military	—	Monagas
—		Guillermo Tell Villegas (1823–1907) acting	16 April 1870	27 April 1870	11 days		Liberal Party	—	Villegas II
15		Antonio Guzmán (1829–1899)	27 April 1870	27 February 1877	6 years, 306 days		Liberal Party	1873	Guzmán I
16		Francisco Linares (1825–1878)	27 February 1877	30 November 1878	1 year, 276 days		Liberal Party	1877	Linares [es]
—		José Gregorio Valera (1826–1896) acting	30 November 1878	26 February 1879	88 days		Liberal Party	—	Valera
(15)		Antonio Guzmán (1829–1899)	26 February 1879	26 April 1884	5 years, 60 days		Liberal Party	1882	Guzmán II
18		Joaquín Crespo (1830–1898)	26 April 1884	15 September 1886	2 years, 142 days		Liberal Party	—	Crespo I
(15)		Antonio Guzmán (1829–1899)	15 September 1886	8 August 1887	327 days		Liberal Party	—	Guzmán III
—		Hermógenes López (1830–1898) acting	8 August 1887	2 July 1888	329 days		Independent	—	Interim
20		Juan Pablo Rojas (1826–1905)	2 July 1888	19 March 1890	1 year, 260 days		Liberal Party	1888	Rojas [es]
21		Raimundo Andueza (1846–1900)	19 March 1890	17 June 1892	2 years, 90 days		Liberal Party	1890	Andueza
—		Guillermo Tell Villegas (1823–1907) acting	17 June 1892	31 August 1892	75 days		Liberal Party	—	Villegas III
—		Guillermo Tell Villegas Pulido (1854–1949) acting	31 August 1892	7 October 1892	37 days		Liberal Party	—	Villegas Pulido
(18)		Joaquín Crespo (1841–1898)	7 October 1892	28 February 1898	5 years, 144 days		Military	1894	Crespo II [es]
23		Ignacio Andrade (1839–1925)	28 February 1898	20 October 1899	1 year, 234 days		Liberal Party	1898	Andrade
24		Cipriano Castro (1858–1924)	20 October 1899	19 December 1908	9 years, 60 days		Military	—	Castro
25		Juan Vicente Gómez (1857–1935)	19 December 1908	5 August 1913	4 years, 229 days		Military	1908	Gómez
—		José Gil (1861–1943) acting	5 August 1913	19 April 1914	257 days		Independent	—
27		Victorino Márquez (1858–1941)	19 April 1914	24 June 1922	8 years, 66 days		Independent	1914
(25)		Juan Vicente Gómez (1857–1935)	24 June 1922	30 May 1929	6 years, 340 days		Military	1922
28		Juan Bautista Pérez (1869–1952)	30 May 1929	13 June 1931	2 years, 14 days		Independent	1929
(25)		Juan Vicente Gómez (1857–1935)	13 June 1931	17 December 1935	4 years, 187 days		Military	1931 [es]
29		Eleazar López (1883–1973)	18 December 1935	5 May 1941	5 years, 138 days		Independent	1936	López [es]
30		Isaías Medina (1897–1953)	5 May 1941	18 October 1945	4 years, 166 days		Democratic Party	1941	Medina [es]
31		Rómulo Betancourt (1908–1981)	18 October 1945	15 February 1948	2 years, 120 days		Democratic Action	—	Betancourt I [es]
32		Rómulo Gallegos (1884–1969)	15 February 1948	24 November 1948	283 days		Democratic Action	1947	Gallegos
33		Carlos Delgado (1909–1950)	24 November 1948	13 November 1950	1 year, 354 days		Military	—	Delgado
34		Germán Suárez (1907–1990)	27 November 1950	2 December 1952	2 years, 5 days		Independent	—	Suárez

The Republic of Venezuela: Democracy and Change (1953–1999)

Venezuela became the Republic of Venezuela in 1953 with a new constitution. The presidents during this time were called the President of the Republic of Venezuela.

This period started with a military leader, Marcos Pérez Jiménez. After he left office in 1958, Venezuela became a democracy again. Rómulo Betancourt was elected president in 1959. This began a time when two main political parties, Democratic Action and Copei, were very important.

Later, during the second presidency of Carlos Andrés Pérez (1989–1993), the country faced economic challenges. There were also protests and two attempts to overthrow the government in 1992. In 1993, Pérez was removed from office. That same year, Rafael Caldera became president. He was the first president in over forty years who did not belong to either Democratic Action or Copei. This showed that the two-party system was changing.

President of the Republic of Venezuela
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political party		Elected	Government	Ref.
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
35		Marcos Pérez (1914–2001)	2 December 1952	23 January 1958	5 years, 52 days		Military	1952	M. Pérez
36		Wolfgang Larrazábal (1911–2003)	23 January 1958	14 November 1958	295 days		Independent	—	Interim [es]
—		Edgar Sanabria (1911–1989) acting	14 November 1958	13 February 1959	91 days		Independent	—	Interim [es]
(31)		Rómulo Betancourt (1908–1981)	13 February 1959	11 March 1964	5 years, 27 days		Democratic Action	1958	Betancourt II
38		Raúl Leoni (1905–1972)	11 March 1964	11 March 1969	5 years		Democratic Action	1963	Leoni
39		Rafael Caldera (1916–2009)	11 March 1969	12 March 1974	5 years, 1 day		Copei	1968	Caldera I
40		Carlos Andrés Pérez (1922–2010)	12 March 1974	12 March 1979	5 years		Democratic Action	1973	C. Pérez I
41		Luis Herrera Campins (1925–2007)	12 March 1979	2 February 1984	4 years, 327 days		Copei	1978	Campins
42		Jaime Lusinchi (1924–2014)	2 February 1984	2 February 1989	5 years		Democratic Action	1983	Lusinchi
(40)		Carlos Andrés Pérez (1922–2010)	2 February 1989	21 May 1993	4 years, 108 days		Democratic Action	1988	C. Pérez II
—		Octavio Lepage (1923–2017) acting	21 May 1993	5 June 1993	15 days		Democratic Action	—	Interim
—		Ramón J. Velásquez (1916–2014) acting	5 June 1993	2 February 1994	242 days		Democratic Action	—	Interim
(39)		Rafael Caldera (1916–2009)	2 February 1994	2 February 1999	5 years		National Convergence	1993	Caldera II

The Bolivarian Republic: Modern Venezuela's Presidents (1999–Present)

Venezuela changed its name to the "Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela" in 1999. This was done with a new constitution to honor Simón Bolívar. President Hugo Chávez led this change. The new constitution made the presidential term six years long instead of five.

Chávez's presidency was briefly interrupted in 2002 by a short event that put Pedro Carmona in office for one day. After forces loyal to the government brought Chávez back, Vice President Diosdado Cabello temporarily took control for a few hours. In 2009, a vote allowed presidents to be re-elected an unlimited number of times. Chávez was re-elected in 2012. However, he died in March 2013, early in his fourth term. His Vice President, Nicolás Maduro, took over and was elected president the next month. Maduro continued many of Chávez's policies.

Under Maduro, Venezuela has faced economic challenges, including rising unemployment and shortages of goods. These issues have led to protests. In 2017, there was a constitutional crisis. The Supreme Court made decisions that affected the National Assembly, and a new Constituent Assembly was formed. These events caused more tension and protests. Many people worried that the country's democratic institutions were becoming less independent.

President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political party		Elected	Government	Ref.
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
45		Hugo Chávez (1954–2013)	2 February 1999	12 April 2002	3 years, 69 days		Fifth Republic Movement	1998	Chávez I [es]
								2000	Chávez II [es]
—		Pedro Carmona (born 1941) acting	12 April 2002	13 April 2002	1 day		Independent	—	Carmona [es]
—		Diosdado Cabello (born 1963) acting	13 April 2002	14 April 2002	1 day		Fifth Republic Movement	—	Interim [es]
(45)		Hugo Chávez (1954–2013)	14 April 2002	5 March 2013	10 years, 325 days		Fifth Republic Movement (until October 2007)	—	Chávez II [es]
								2006	Chávez III [es]
							United Socialist Party (from October 2007)	2012
—		Nicolás Maduro (born 1962)	5 March 2013	19 April 2013	45 days		United Socialist Party	—	Interim [es]
46			19 April 2013	Incumbent	12 years, 293 days			2013	Maduro I [es]
								2018	Maduro II
								2024 (Disputed)	Maduro III [es]
—		Delcy Rodríguez (born 1969) acting	5 January 2026	Incumbent	32 days		United Socialist Party	—	Rodríguez [es]

A Time of Disagreement: The 2019-2023 Presidential Claims

The results of the May 2018 presidential election in Venezuela were widely questioned. The National Assembly, which had an opposition majority, stated that Nicolás Maduro was not the rightful president after his second inauguration. They announced a plan for their president, Juan Guaidó, to become the acting president, based on Article 233 of the Venezuelan Constitution. A week later, the Supreme Court said that the National Assembly's claim was not valid.

Many international organizations and countries discussed this situation. The Organization of American States (OAS) declared Maduro's presidency illegitimate and called for new elections. The United Nations asked for talks between the two sides.

Juan Guaidó declared himself acting president on January 23, 2019. Maduro's government said that the United States was trying to remove him from power. Guaidó said his actions were peaceful and supported by volunteers. By June 2019, 54 countries recognized Guaidó as the acting president. Countries like China, Cuba, Iran, Russia, Syria, and Turkey supported Maduro. The US, Canada, and most of Western Europe supported Guaidó. The United Nations continued to recognize Maduro's presidency as the legal representative of Venezuela until December 2019.

On December 22, 2022, the opposition parties voted to remove Guaidó's interim government. On December 30, 2022, three of the four main opposition parties agreed to end the interim government. They decided to create a new group to manage foreign assets instead. This change was approved with 72 votes in favor, 29 against, and 8 abstentions. This officially ended the Guaidó government on January 5, 2023.

President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political party		Elected	Government	Ref.
		Took office	Left office	Time in office
	Juan Guaidó (born 1983)	23 January 2019	5 January 2023	3 years, 347 days		Popular Will (until 2020)	—	Guaidó
						Independent (from 2020)
	Edmundo González (born 1949)	10 January 2025	Incumbent	1 year, 27 days		Independent	2024 (Disputed)

Timeline of Venezuelan Presidents

See also

• List of current heads of state and government
• List of vice presidents of Venezuela