{ { Infobox Political post
| post = President
| body = the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
| native_name =
| insignia = Presidential Standard of Venezuela.svgborder
| insigniacaption = Presidential Standard of Venezuela
| image = Nicolás Maduro 2022 (cropped).jpeg
| imagesize = 150px
| incumbent = Nicolás Maduro
| incumbentsince = 5 March 2013Disputed since 10 January 2019
| style = Mr. President() His Excellency({ { small|Su Excelencia}}) | memberof = Cabinet | residence = La Casona (es) | seat = Miraflores Palace, Caracas | appointer = Popular vote election | termlength = Six years,no term limits | salary = 4,068 USD monthly | formation = 13 January 1830 | inaugural = Cristóbal Mendoza José Antonio Páez | deputy = Vice President of Venezuela | website = presidencia.gob.ve }}
The president of Venezuela (), officially known as the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (), is the head of state and head of government in Venezuela. The president leads the National Executive of the Venezuelan government and is the commander-in-chief of the National Bolivarian Armed Forces. Presidential terms were set at six years with the adoption of the 1999 Constitution of Venezuela, and presidential term limits were removed in 2009.
The office of president in Venezuela has existed since the 1811 Venezuelan Declaration of Independence from the Spanish Crown; the first president was Cristóbal Mendoza. From 1821 to 1830, Venezuela was a member state of Gran Colombia, and the Venezuelan executive was absorbed by the Colombian government in Bogotá. When the State of Venezuela became independent from Gran Colombia, the office of the president was restored under José Antonio Páez. Every head of state of Venezuela since then has held the title of president.
During the 19th century, Venezuela suffered political turmoil and autocracy, remaining dominated by regional military dictators until the mid-20th century. Since 1958, the country has had a series of democratic governments, as an exception where most of the region was ruled by military dictatorships, and the period was characterized by economic prosperity.
The Venezuelan presidential crisis was a political crisis concerning the leadership and who holds the office remained disputed till 5 January 2023. It began when the opposition-majority National Assembly declared that incumbent Nicolás Maduro's 2018 re-election was invalid and the body declared its president, Juan Guaidó, to be acting president of the country. However, support for Guaidó has declined since a failed military uprising attempt in April 2019. As of July 2021, efforts led by Guaidó to create a transitional government have been described as unsuccessful by various analysts and media networks, with Maduro continuing to control Venezuela's state institutions. As of 6 January 2021, the European Union stopped recognizing Guaidó as president (although Guaidó was never recognized by the entire European Union block because of Italy's veto), but the EU still does not recognize Maduro as the legitimate president, threatening his government with further sanctions. The interim government was dissolved in December 2022, when three of the four main political parties approved its dissolution to create a commission of five members to manage foreign assets, as the deputies sought a united strategy ahead of the presidential elections scheduled for 2024.
Powers
As a self described republic with a presidential executive, Venezuela grants significant powers to the president. The president effectively controls the executive branch, represents the country abroad, and appoints the cabinet and, with the approval of the National Assembly, the judges for the Supreme Tribunal of Justice. The president is also the commander-in-chief of the National Bolivarian Armed Forces (FANB).