AFP, By Joe Mouzo and Katherine Haddon, March 5
London – What now for Venezuela in the wake of Chavez’s death?
According to the country’s constitution, elections must be held within 30 days and the speaker of the National Assembly takes over power on an interim basis. Before his death, Chavez had urged Venezuelans to vote for Maduro if he was unable to return to office.
But Maduro, a former bus driver, is nowhere near as charismatic as Chavez.
Update: March 6
Reuters photo of the procession of Chavez’ coffin through Caracas.
Photo gallery and more here
What now for Venezuela? The CIA’s Venezuela plan now kicks into high gear.
We can see that the U.S. government is really choked up about Chavez’s death.
I was afraid Chavez was not going to survive this. Let us hope the Venezuelans know their real enemy.
Greg Palast has done a lot about Chavez;
http://www.gregpalast.com/vaya-con-dios-hugo-chavez-mi-amigo/
RIP Hugo; you were bigger than life…
If Obama can instal a puppet for the fossil fools, he will get his first foreign policy win (unless assassinations count). I’m sure he will make every effort and, should he succeed, wrap it in grandiloquent amorality.
The Nation: On the legacy of Hugo Chavez is I think better than most of the other US pieces from today (low bar)
But what will Sean Penn do? The eulogy?
Venezuela VP: Chavez’s cancer was an ‘attack’ by his enemies
No word yet if they found an umbrella.
There was a not totally tinfoil alarm a few years ago about the “cancer cluster” of Latin American leaders- including Chavez -who attended one of his anti-OAS conferences, but it didn’t seem to stick.
One thing is certain -there will be a mad scramble to privatize the fossil fuel industry in Venezuela, as they have more than anywhere except the Middle East!
Only a true Chavista will be able to resist the pressure exerted by our fascisti riddled government.
I rue this day; and it was inevitable. Damn humans can fuck up anything and everything; it’s our only true talent.
But in the end, Gaia will rule. Then everything will balance once again…
For the record, this is what “part of the problem, not part of the solution” looks like. In response to the simple question, what next for Venezuela and Venezuelans, the vast majority of posts about favorite hobby horses and obsessions, essentially shouting “me, me, me”. This isn’t getting “down and dirty with the Power Elite” – this is obligingly making one’s own circuses, to go with what one considers to be too little bread.
but JPD, under your own criteria, that includes your metapost! [run]
On another tangent-
I looked around for decent articles on Venezuelan politics after 6 years of being away from that subject,
It was unsurprising but sad to see there’s nobody out there any more being paid to do full-time international journalism.
–mole
Thhhhhpt! Do as I say, not as I do.
I think it is way too early for a serious what now, it will be interesting tho to watch the dynamics between the political parties and the military.
Oh, Hugo! – A short somewhat predictably critical Guardian Clip but with Chavez’ famous mockery of GWB: Hugo Chavez: COMANDANTE by Rory Carroll
Actor Sean Penn pays tribute to President Hugo Chavez
Cuba’s Granma
Statement from the Revolutionary government
HASTA siempre, Comandante
With deep and lacerating pain, our people and the Revolutionary government learned of the death of President Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías and are preparing to pay him a heartfelt and patriotic tribute on his entry into history as an independence leader of Our America.
Chaavez, Fidel, EvoWe offer our sincere condolences to his parents, brothers, daughters and son and all his family members, who are already ours, just as Chávez is also a son of Cuba, of Latin America and the Caribbean, and of the world.
In this moment of profound sadness, we share the closet sentiments of solidarity with the sister Venezuelan people, who we will accompany in all circumstances.
The Bolivarian Revolution will have our resolute and unrestricted support during these difficult days.
We reiterate our support, encouragement and faith in victory to our compañeros in the Bolivarian political-military leadership and the Venezuelan government.
President Chávez has led an extraordinary battle throughout his youthful and fertile life. We will always remember him as a patriotic soldier in the service of Venezuela and the Patria Grande [Greater Homeland]; as an honest, lucid, daring and courageous revolutionary fighter; as a leader and supreme comandante who reincarnated Bolívar in order to do what Bolívar was unable to complete; founder of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.
His heroic and indefatigable fight against death is an unsurpassable example of fortitude. The admirable commitment of his doctors and nurses has been a feat of humanism and dedication.
The President’s return to the Venezuelan homeland, which he loved so much, changed history. “We have a homeland,” Chávez exclaimed with emotion last December 8, and he returned there to confront the greatest risks imposed by his illness. Nothing and nobody can seize the restored homeland from the Venezuelan people.
All of Chávez’ work appears undefeated before us. The attainments of the revolutionary people who saved him from the coup in April 2002 and have unhesitatingly followed him, are now irreversible.
The Cuban people feel him as one of their most outstanding sons and have admired him, followed him and loved him as their own. Chávez is also Cuban! He experienced as his own our difficulties and problems and did as much as he could, with extraordinary generosity, especially in the hardest years of the Special Period. He accompanied Fidel as a true son and his friendship with Raúl was extremely close.
He excelled in international battles in the face of imperialism, always in defense of the poor, of the workers, of our peoples. Impassioned, persuasive, eloquent, ingenious and moving, he spoke from the hearts of the peoples, sang of our joys, and declaimed our impassioned poems with perennial optimism.
The tens of thousands of Cubans working in Venezuela will honor him with their impassioned fulfillment of revolutionary internationalism and will continue accompanying the epic feat of the Bolivarian people with honor and altruism.
Cuba will sustain eternal loyalty to the memory and legacy of Comandante President Chávez and will resolutely continue his ideals of the unity of the revolutionary forces and of the integration and independence of Our America.
His example will lead us in coming battles.
¡Hasta la victoria siempre!
Reuters photo of the procession of Chavez’ coffin through Caracas.
Photo gallery and more here
(dup of addendum to main post)