Chavez political heir takes over after rousing funeral

More than 30 heads of state paid tribute to Chavez as his body lay in state in a flag-covered coffin at a military academy, bringing the curtain down on a 14-year reign that divided his oil-rich nation.

“There you are, undefeated, pure, transparent, unique, true, alive forever,” Maduro said as his voice rose and cracked in a eulogy that both praised his mentor and railed against his opponents.

“Mission accomplished comandante! The struggle goes on,” he exclaimed as the guests, ranging from Cuban leader Raul Castro to Hollywood star Sean Penn, applauded in a raucous ceremony filled with music, cheers and chants for Chavez.

Maduro was later sworn in as acting president at the National Assembly and named Chavez's son-in-law Jorge Arreaza vice president before urging election authorities to “immediately” convene elections.

Maduro donned the presidential sash, his voice breaking as he declared: “Sorry for these tears but this presidency belongs to our comandante.”

The assembly burst into chants of “Chavez I swear, my vote is for Maduro!”

The main opposition coalition boycotted the inauguration, saying that it was unconstitutional.

The ceremony set the stage for a bitter election campaign that must be called within 30 days, five months after Chavez beat a stronger challenger than he had been used to — Henrique Capriles, who will now likely face his former vice president.

“Nicolas, nobody elected you president. The people didn't vote for you, kid,” Capriles said.

The opposition has argued that the constitution calls for the National Assembly speaker to take over as interim leader.

Before the political battle began, the state funeral opened with Venezuelan conductor and Los Angeles Philharmonic maestro Gustavo Dudamel leading an orchestral rendition of the national anthem.

Maduro placed a replica of the golden sword of South American independence hero Simon Bolivar on his mentor's wooden casket and then handed it to his family at the end of the funeral.

Presidents Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran and Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus sat next to each other, wiping away tears as a band played one of Chavez's favorite sentimental songs.

“We have lost a great leader, a great man,” Ahmadinejad said after the ceremony. “Hugo came from the people and he served the people.”

Several Latin American leaders, including Cuba's Castro, were invited to stand in an honor guard around the coffin, which was closed and covered in the yellow, blue and red colors of Venezuela.

1|2|Next Page>>

SHARE CLOSE
Blogger		Google+
Live Journal		Plurk
Stumble Upon

Tweet

	PREVIOUS ARTICLE
	US exports of some military parts eased

NEXT ARTICLE
Chavez protege Maduro seeks snap election as Venezuela mourns

Write a Comment

Terms

Enter your comments - 3000 characters max

Type in image code

 Receive China Post promos
 Respond to this email

Submit