http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2013/01/2013155137785327.html
Venezuela says Chavez oath can be delayed | |
Official says ailing Hugo Chavez will not relinquish presidency even if he must be sworn in to new term at later date.
Last Modified: 05 Jan 2013 05:50
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Chavez was re-elected October 7 despite his debilitating battle with cancer and a strong opposition challenge [AFP]
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| Venezuela has signaled that cancer-stricken President Hugo Chavez will be unable to be sworn in to a new term next week, laying out a legal rationale for delaying the oath-taking ceremony.
Vice President Nicolas Maduro said on Friday that the ailing leader could take the oath of office at some later date before the Supreme Court without giving up the presidency in the interim.
With a pocket-sized constitution in hand, Maduro argued that the charter provides "a dynamic flexibility" that guarantees that Chavez's re-election will be respected. He vehemently rejected the opposition's insistence that if Chavez is prevented by ill health from taking the oath of office on schedule January 10 he must at least temporarily give up the presidency to the speaker of the National Assembly. Under Venezuela's constitution, new elections must be held within 30 days if the president dies or is permanently incapacitated either before he takes office or in the first four years of his six year term. Denying rumours Chavez, 58, underwent his fourth round of surgery more than four weeks ago and has developed a "severe pulmonary infection" that has raised doubts about his fitness to continue serving. He has not been seen in public in nearly four weeks, and only his family, a handful of senior officials and his Cuban medical team are known to have seen him as he battles to regain his health in a Havana hospital. Close allies like Bolivia's president, Evo Morales, have expressed concern over his health and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff sent an envoy to Havana to inquire about his condition, a source in the Brazilian presidency said Friday. Before leaving for Cuba, Chavez named Maduro as his political successor, but there have been persistent rumors of a struggle between him and National Assembly speaker Diosdado Cabello, a former military officer. Upon their return from Havana, both men went out of their way to deny the rumors and to vow to remain united. The National Assembly meets on Saturday to elect its leadership in a key test for the regime. Cabello was expected to be re-elected, but his failure to keep the post would revive the perception of an internal split. Media accused In convening the session, Cabello called on Chavez supporters to rally outside the parliament in a show of support. The closing of ranks comes amid a surge of demands on social networks and by opposition leaders for more detailed information from doctors about Chavez's condition.
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/04/hugo-chavez-fights-life-venezuela
Hugo Chávez fights for life as supporters pray in Venezuela
Three months after crowds celebrated another election triumph for the president, the mood in Caracas is transformed
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Venezuelans at a mass in Caracas for Hugo Chávez, who is said to have a severe lung infection. Photograph: Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
The change of mood in Plaza Bolivar could hardly be more dramatic. Less than three months ago, jubilant crowds filled the main square in Caracas to celebrate another election triumph for Hugo Chávez with chants of "Oo, ah, Chávez no se va" – Chávez won't go.
Now, however, supporters wait anxiously for any scrap of news from Havana, Cuba, where their president is fighting for his life after emergency cancer surgery.
"We are all very confused. We have no idea what to expect. I pray for his recovery but I am expecting the worst," said Joaquín Cavarcas, as he scanned the Ciudad CCS newspaper for the latest update.
Next Thursday, Chávez is supposed to be inaugurated for a further six-year term of office at a ceremony at the National Assembly, a short walk from the plaza. But the usually gregarious, publicity-loving president has not been seen or heard since his operation on 11 December, prompting speculation that he will not recover in time.
In the latest in a series of grave bulletins, the government said on Thursday that the president was suffering from complications brought on by a severe lung infection after surgery. Aides earlier described his condition as "delicate". The Bolivian president, Evo Morales, said it was painful to see his close political ally in this state. "The situation for our brother Hugo Chávez is very worrying," he said.
With information scarce, rumours abound. Spain's ABC newspaper claimed the president was in a coma and kept alive by a life-support system. Social networks are abuzz with speculation that he is already dead.
Ministers and ruling party officials have lined up to deny such reports.Venezuela's vice-president, Nicolás Maduro, has told the country to ignore "enemy" rumours of Chávez's imminent demise. On Friday, he accused ABC of being funded by the extreme right which had backed General Franco's "despicable regime" in Spain.
On the streets, nobody is giving up on Chávez, but there is a growing resignation that he will not attend his swearing-in as scheduled.
"We must wait for him to recover and then swear him into office," said Ruben Daza, a newspaper vendor. "I don't think he'll be back next week. The assembly will have to decide what to do in the meantime, but he is the president and we must wait for his return."
Posters hanging from street lamps show Chávez alongside his daughter pointing down on a sea of supporters with a caption: "Now, more than ever, we are with Chávez."
But questions remain over the legal status of the president-elect if he fails to show up for his inauguration. The constitution stipulates the need for a new poll if the president dies or suffers permanent physical or mental disability before inauguration. Article 233 notes: "When there is an absolute absence of the president-elect before taking office, there shall be a new election by universal, direct and secret vote within the next 30 consecutive days."
Until the vote, the interim president should be the head of the national assembly. He is Diosdado Cabello – a former military officer and old ally of Chávez and head of a faction within the ruling camp. If there were an election, he would be likely to run the government, while another ruling party figurehead, Maduro, would campaign for a six-year term.
In his last public broadcast before leaving for Havana, Chávez urged Venezuelans to vote for Maduro if he became incapacitated.
However, other scenarios are possible. The constitution also states that the president-elect can take the oath of office before the supreme court, which is packed with Chávez appointees. Whether he could do this in a foreign hospital is uncertain.
According to Nicmer Evans, a professor of political science at the Central University of Venezuela, only a medical team approved by the supreme court can determine if Chávez is unable to govern. For now, Evans says, the president has not resigned so his absence cannot be considered absolute. If he is unable to be sworn into office, Evans thinks the government could call for a provisional "junta" or the supreme justice could declare Chávez's absence temporary, allowing Maduro to stand in for 90 days or until a medical team declares otherwise.
If Chavéz is incapacitated merely in the short term, Jose Ignacio Hernandez, a law professor at the Central University of Venezuela, said the outcome that would best represent the will of the people would be for the head of the National Assembly – Cabello – to temporarily assume power. This is possible under the constitution for a 90-day period, which can be extended for a further 90 days if the assembly approves.
Michael Shifter, head of the Inter-American Dialogue thinktank in Washington DC, said a postponement of the swearing-in ceremony was increasingly likely.
"It is hard to imagine that he will be inaugurated on the 10th," he said. "I think they will just try to put it off and figure out what to do – whether to do it later or call elections."
This, he said, was likely to strengthen the hand of the ruling party and put pressure on an opposition that already appears divided over the correct interpretation of the constitution.
Riding a huge wave of emotion, Maduro would then be likely to win any election. His problems, however, would begin once he took power and started to address some of the tough financial and social problems facing Venezuela while trying to maintain unity in a ruling bloc.
"There is clearly going to be a power struggle within Chavismo," said Shifter. "Cabello is head of a rival faction and in a strong position. He is a crafty guy and he has been waiting a long time. He will follow Chávez's wishes for now, but it's unclear how long that will last, especially if the armed forces end up playing an important role."
Maduro and Cabello have both been at Chávez's bedside this week. When they returned to Venezuela on Thursday, they dismissed rumours of a rift as an opposition ploy.
"We're more unified than ever," said Maduro. "We swore in front of Commander Chávez that we will be united at the side of our people."
For many of his supporters, it is unimaginable that anyone could fully replace Chávez, who has dominated the nation's politics for 14 years. But even if their worst fears are realised, they say Chávez's legacy will endure.
"I want President Chávez to come back, I've prayed for his health from the beginning, but at this point I've lost all hope. I think the president of the assembly should take over and call for elections in the next 90 days and may the best man win. It's what the constitution says," said Sixto Zambrano, a retired soldier.
"I've always liked Chávez, since the day I saw him as a young man speaking in the barracks, but I've seen how cancer goes and one cannot go against that."
"No one has his charisma," Cavarcas said. "There will be no leader like him. No one comes close to him, but the revolution and Chavismo won't end. As long as there are one or two of us left to take this forward, this process will continue."
Succession plan
In the event of an "absolute absence" by the president elect, Venezuela's constitution stipulates that elections must be held within 30 days and the interim president should be the head of the national assembly.
That post is currently held by Diosdado Cabello, a former army officer who joined Chavéz in a failed 1992 coup that led to both of them being jailed. The experience cemented their friendship and a political alliance that propelled them to power, with Cabello serving as the president's chief of staff and in a number of ministerial posts.
If he becomes interim president, it would be his second time as a top-level stop-gap. Cabello took the reins for a few hours after Chavéz was detained in a 2002 coup by the opposition. His electoral record is patchier. From 2004 he served as governor of Miranda state, but lost in a re-election bid against Henrique Capriles – the most likely opposition candidate if a presidential election were to be held.
Despite reports of a rift inside the ruling coalition between a military faction led by Cabello and a civilian faction headed by the vice-president, Nicolás Maduro, the two have worked together for many years and stressed their unity this week. It is likely that both would respect Chavéz's wish for Maduro to be the ruling party candidate if a presidential election has to be held.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2255939/Hugo-Chavez-kept-alive-life-support-cancer-surgery.html
Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez in a coma 'only kept alive by life support' after cancer surgery
By ANTHONY BOND
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Ill: Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez is in an induced coma being kept alive by life support following complications during cancer surgery, it was claimed today. He is pictured earlier this year
Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez is in an induced coma being kept alive by life support following complications during cancer surgery, it was claimed today.
Sources at the hospital in Cuba where he is being treated told a Spanish newspaper he was showing 'very weak' vital signs, adding that doctors could decide to switch off the machines 'at any moment'.
With rumours swirling that Chavez had taken a turn for the worse, Venezuela's Vice President Nicolas Maduro said the ailing president's condition remains 'delicate' three weeks after his cancer surgery.
He did not provide further information about the president's condition and told Venezuelan's to ignore speculation about his health.
Many Venezuelan's have been left frustrated over the lack of information over the president's condition.
Chavez's political opponents have complained that the government hasn't told the country nearly enough and have demanded it provide the country with a full medical report.
Even some of his supporters say they wished they knew more.
In a pre-recorded interview in Havana, which was broadcast Tuesday night by the Caracas-based television network Telesur, Maduro said: 'He's totally conscious of the complexity of his post-operative state and he expressly asked us ... to keep the nation informed always, always with the truth, as hard as it may be in certain circumstances.'
Both supporters and opponents of Chavez have been on edge in the past week amid shifting signals from the government about the president's health.
Chavez has not been seen or heard from since the December 11 operation, and officials have reported a series of ups and downs in his recovery - the most recent, on Sunday, announcing that he faced new complications from a respiratory infection.
Maduro did not provide any new details about Chavez's complications during Tuesday's interview. But he joined other Chavez allies in urging Venezuelans to ignore gossip, saying rumors were being spread due to 'the hatred of the enemies of Venezuela.'
Maduro said Chavez faces 'a complex and delicate situation'. But Maduro also said that when he talked with the president and looked at his face, he seemed to have 'the same strength as always.'
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Concerns: With rumors swirling that Chavez, left, had taken a turn for the worse, Venezuela's Vice President Nicolas Maduro, right, said the ailing president's condition remains 'delicate' three weeks after his cancer surgery
'All the time we've been hoping for his positive evolution. Sometimes he has had light improvements, sometimes stationary situations,' he said.
SUCCESSOR READY TO TAKE OVER
Following news that Hugo Chavez's cancer had returned in December, the president officially named Vice President Nicolas Maduro as his successor.
Maduro has been an active member of the country's government since Chavez assumed power in 1998.
The 50-year-old Maduro has been close friends with Chavez since the 1980s.
He got into politics as a teenager, joining the Socialist League, which sent him to Cuba for training in union organising.
He then became a union organiser in the Caracas Metro system, for which he served as a bus driver.
Maduro worked as a coordinator during Chavez's first presidential election and later became a congressman and president of the assembly until 2006.
As vice president, Maduro has been key in designing the country's radical anti-imperialist policy. He has worked to grow Venezuela's relationship with Iran, Russia and China.
Maduro's remarks about the president came at the end of an interview in which he praised Venezuelan government programs at length, recalled the history of the Cuban revolution and touched on what he called the long-term strength of Chavez's socialist Bolivarian Revolution movement.
He mentioned that former Cuban President Fidel Castro had been in the hospital, and praised Cuba's government effusively. 'Today we're together on a single path,' Maduro said.
Critics in Venezuela sounded off on Twitter while the interview was aired, some saying Maduro sounded like a mouthpiece for the Cuban government. In their messages, many Chavez opponents criticized Maduro for the dearth of information he provided, accusing him of withholding key details about Chavez's condition.
'We're distressed by El Comandante's health,' said Francisca Fuentes, who was walking through a downtown square with her grandchildren Tuesday. 'I think they aren't telling us the whole truth. It's time for them to speak clearly. It's like when you have a sick relative and the doctor lies to you every once in a while.'
Chavez has been fighting an undisclosed type of pelvic cancer since June 2011.
He has declined to reveal the precise location of the tumors that have been surgically removed.
The president announced on December 8, two months after winning re-election, that his cancer had come back despite previous surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation treatment.
'There's nothing we can do except wait for the government to deign to say how he is really,' said Daniel Jimenez, an opposition supporter who was in a square in an affluent Caracas neighborhood.
Jimenez and many other Venezuelans say it seems increasingly unlikely that Chavez can be sworn in as scheduled January 10 for his new term. If he dies or is unable to continue in office, the Venezuelan Constitution says a new election should be held within 30 days.
Before his operation, Chavez acknowledged he faced risks and designated Maduro as his successor, telling supporters they should vote for the vice president if a new presidential election was necessary.
Maduro didn't discuss the upcoming inauguration plans, saying only that he is hopeful Chavez will improve.
Maduro didn't discuss the upcoming inauguration plans, saying only that he is hopeful Chavez will improve.
The vice president said that Chavez 'has faced an illness with courage and dignity, and he's there fighting, fighting.'
'Someone asked me yesterday by text message: How is the president? And I said, `With giant strength," Maduro said. He recalled taking Chavez by the hand: "He squeezed me with gigantic strength as we talked."
VIDEO Vice President discusses Hugo Chavez's condition
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