Hugo Chavez was a larger-than-life political figure who served as Venezuela’s president for 14 years, keeping a lid on protests and a difficult economy. His successor Nicolas Maduro has had anything but a smooth reign and Venezuela is now being compared to tumultuous counties like Syria and Ukraine.Hugo Chavez was a larger-than-life political figure who served as Venezuela’s president for 14 years, keeping a lid on protests and a difficult economy. His successor Nicolas Maduro has had anything but a smooth reign and Venezuela is now being compared to tumultuous counties like Syria and Ukraine.