Analyst : He was behind radical foreign policy decisions , also compromises . Hugo Chavez asked Maduro to replace him if his health worsened . Maduro has been Venezuela 's vice president and foreign minister . Shortly before his last trip to Cuba for cancer surgery , Chavez tapped Maduro as his replacement `` if something were to happen that would incapacitate me '' and called for voters to support him . ` He started his career as a bus driver and later became a union leader and a politician .
Analyst : He was behind radical foreign policy decisions , also compromises . Hugo Chavez asked Maduro to replace him if his health worsened . Maduro has been Venezuela 's vice president and foreign minister . He started his career as a bus driver and later became a union leader and a politician .