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(Image Source: Sky News)
BY ELISA LOPEZ AGUADO
The streets of Venezuela’s capital of Caracas paid homage to President Hugo Chavez Wednesday.
The procession in memory of Chavez went from the hospital where he had stayed to the Fuerte
Tiuna Military Academy.
The wooden coffin was carried through the streets covered with
the Venezuelan flag. Cries of thousands of people and cheers from others accompanied
the parade. (Via YouTube)
For months, questions had surrounded the health status
of Chavez, ill with cancer for more than a year. Some correspondents report the president
didn’t actually die in the hospital, nor at 4:25 p.m. as the government stated.
The
dictator’s family withdrew life support from Chavez on Monday night after having sent
him back to Cuba Friday for a last attempt at treatment. (Via ABC)
Several world
leaders and international organizations have shown their respect for the death of President
Hugo Chavez. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said …
“I’d like to convey my deepest
condolence to the families and people and Government of Venezuela on the loss of President
Chavez.”
Meanwhile the BBC reports …
“Latin American leaders have begun
arriving in Caracas to pay their respects … Ecuador, Argentina, Brazil...have declared
periods of official mourning. Another Chavez ally, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,
also announced a day of mourning, describing him as a ‘martyr’.”
Peru’s President
Ollanta Humala Tasso said goodbye to Chavez via Twitter.
But for many critics of
Chavez, the Venezuelan president’s death didn’t bring sadness.
Other representatives
like the chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs of the U.S. said “Chavez
was a tyrant...good riddance to this dictator.” (Via The Washington Post)
Others like
Michael White for The Guardian remarked on the need to stop calling governors heroes
or villains once they die.
While Venezuela’s future is still uncertain, Telemundo’s Carlos
Rajo, reporting for NBC News said...
“Beyond the country’s borders, question marks loom
as to whether any regional leader will step into Chavez’s shoes and become the region’s
voice of socialism and anti-Americanism”, he said. “Who the Chavistas choose to succeed
‘El Comandante’ will help determine the future of the Bolivarian Revolution.”
And
Michael Shrifter, the president of a Washington-based think tank, says this:
“The most likely
scenario is that a Chavez government will continue in power. The Government is strong,
the candidate will likely be Nicolas Maduro, the opposition is very demoralized and very
fragmented...”
As the Venezuelan Constitution declares, a new election will be held within
30 days of the death of the President. At the moment, the country has declared 7 days
of mourning and schools will be closed until Monday 11. The funeral is set for Friday,
but details remain unknown. cha