Nicolas Maduro Moros, Venezuelan vice president, will take over as the country's interim president after the death of late leader Hugo Chavez on Tuesday.

He, expected by many to contend in the upcoming presidential elections that will take place in 30 days, could become the top leader of the oil-rich South American country.

Maduro, 50, was born in Caracas from a middle-low class family and is married to Venezuelan General Attorney Cilia Flores. He is the man that late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez chose to continue his "socialist revolution."

"He is one of the young leaders with the larger capacity to face the destiny of the fatherland," Chavez once said.

Maduro was a students' socialist leader, and later a union leader when he was a driver of the Caracas subway.

The partnership between Chavez and Maduro began when Maduro and his wife led a legal team to win Chavez's freedom from involvement in a failed coup against then-president Carlos Andres Perez in 1992.

Maduro was elected into the National Assembly in 2000 and re-elected in 2005, when he became leader of the parliament.

From 2006 to 2012, Maduro served as foreign minister. He was named vice president by Chavez in October 2012.

In December 2012, Maduro was declared Chavez's successor in case the president could not carry out his duties as a result of cancer.

Since then, Maduro led the Venezuelan government as Chavez was in Cuba for treatment.

Chavez's endorsement has promoted Maduro's political profile. He has yet to offically announce his intention to take part in the upcoming presidential elections.

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