"Maduro grew up in a family of moderate means in Caracas, where his father was engaged in leftist politics and the labour movement. His own early interest in left-wing politics led Maduro to pursue training as an organizer in Cuba rather than a university education. While working as a bus driver in Caracas, he became a representative in the transit workers union and rose through its ranks. When Chávez, then an army officer, was imprisoned in 1992 after leading an unsuccessful coup attempt, Maduro and his future wife, Cilia Flores, then a young lawyer, campaigned for Chávez’s release, which came in 1994."
