( CNN ) -- Unable to defeat their political rival at the ballot box , some in the Venezuelan opposition are resorting to a tactic familiar to Americans : questioning the birthplace of the president . In the United States , the so-called `` birther '' movement disputed President Barack Obama 's legitimacy , claiming that he was born in Africa and therefore is ineligible for the highest office . Even when Obama 's birth certificate was made public , some called it a forgery . No birth certificate has been produced for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro . Rumors of Maduro 's birthplace surfaced before he was elected in April , but in recent weeks they have gained new life . In the Venezuelan version of the birther movement , its proponents say Maduro was born in neighboring Colombia and is either a Colombian citizen or a dual citizen , either of which would make him ineligible to be president . The leaders of the movement have taken their complaint to Venezuela 's Supreme Court , to Colombian authorities and even to the European Union . The claim is controversial in Venezuela . Maduro 's supporters ignore the question as nonsense . The president has not addressed the question directly , but on several occasions said during speeches that he was born in Caracas . The Venezuelan government did not immediately respond to CNN 's calls for comment . The movement has gained the support of some opposition parties , which have asked the president to release a copy of his birth certificate . `` This is an international problem , '' Pablo Medina , a member of the opposition Patriotic Assembly , told CNN en EspaÃ±ol . Medina presented a letter to the European Union asking them to scrutinize Maduro 's nationality and take a position on the matter . He went to the European Union because other governments `` should know that any contracts or any agreements that they sign with Nicolas Maduro , a Colombian citizen , are invalid , illegal , null and void . '' This week , three lawyers asked the country 's highest court to order Maduro to reveal where he was born , and what his parents ' nationality is . The birthers in the United States are considered a fringe group , and it 's unclear how seriously Venezuelans consider the accusations against Maduro . The theory that Maduro is not eligible to be president is welcomed by some Venezuelans who see it as a sliver of hope to unseat him . Maduro , the hand-picked successor of the late Hugo Chavez , narrowly won the election . Venezuela remains a polarized country , and there is a feeling that some factions will latch on to any tactic to remove Maduro from power . Others ignore the issue altogether , or look at it with curiosity . `` I sincerely regret these rotten , ill-intentioned campaigns , which make us think about what would have happened if this country was in the hands of people who only act to destroy the dignity and reputation of others , '' wrote pro-Maduro columnist Casto Gil Rivera in the pro-government newspaper Correo del Orinoco . Rivera wrote that he has known Maduro since he was a child -- in Caracas . The fact that Maduro 's birth record has not been located in either Venezuela or Colombia allows the doubts to persist . According to Maduro 's official biography , he was born in Caracas in 1962 . During a speech in Italy in June , Maduro named a specific Caracas neighborhood as his birthplace as he recounted an anecdote about his childhood . He described it as a middle-class neighborhood and spoke of a memory he has of that place when he was 8 or 9 . Medina says his group has sought Maduro 's birth record in the place where he says he was born , but found nothing . To him , that is evidence that the president is not Venezuelan . But no birth records for Maduro have turned up in Colombia , either . A Colombian newspaper and radio outlet investigated allegations that the president 's has Colombian roots in Cucuta , a town on the border with Venezuela , and found residents who had memories of Maduro as a child there . However , both media investigations turned up no evidence that Maduro was born in Colombia . There is no record of anyone with that name having been born in Cucuta , RCN Radio reported . So far , Venezuela 's birther movement also has found no evidence to back their claims , much like their American counterparts . But , in another similarity , they stubbornly refuse to back down . Asked whether he had any concerns about risking the credibility of the opposition by linking it to a birther claim , Medina said he is certain that he is right . He said he was not aware of the way the birther movement is viewed in the United States . Journalist Osmary Hernandez contributed to this report from Venezuela .
Some Americans are questioning the nationality of President Maduro . This is similar to the birther movement in Venezuela . No birth records for Cucuta have surfaced in the United States or the United States . It is to be seen whether this is a fringe movement or if it will take root .