Nicolas Maduro

Venezuela: 7 dead in post elections protests

Caracas: Venezuela's chief prosecutor said on Tuesday seven people have been killed and 61 injured in protests following presidential elections in which the opposition candidate is demanding a recount. Prosecutor Luisa Ortega did not provide any details about the deaths or injuries or how they occurred.

But she said the seven killed were humble members of the working class, a suggestion that the opposition might be to blame. Chavez's chosen successor Nicolas Maduro was certified the winner of a presidential election yesterday amid questions about his ability to lead after squandering a double-digit lead in the race despite an outpouring of sympathy for his party following Chavez's death.

But protests across the country are posing a challenge even before he deals with Venezuela's mounting problems. Opposition leader Henrique Capriles is demanding a recount of Sunday's election that he narrowly lost.

As the National Electoral Council proclaimed Maduro the victor, people stood on their balconies in Caracas apartment buildings banging pots and pans in protest. Across town, thousands of students briefly clashed with National Guard troops who fired tear gas and plastic bullets. Protests continued on Tuesday....more    

Chavez's heir Maduro to take over divided Venezuela

Caracas: Hugo Chavez's hand-picked successor, Nicolas Maduro, has officially won Venezuela's presidential election by a stunningly narrow margin that highlights rising discontent over problems ranging from crime to power blackouts. His rival demanded a recount, portending more headaches for a country shaken by the death of its dominating leader. One key Chavista leader expressed dismay over the outcome of Sunday's election, which was supposed to cement the self-styled "Bolivarian Revolution"...  

Chavez ally Maduro narrowly wins Venezuela presidential election

Caracas: Ruling party candidate Nicolas Maduro narrowly won Venezuela's presidential election on Sunday, the electoral authority said, allowing him to continue the socialist policies of the late president Hugo Chavez. The National Electoral Council said Maduro won 50.7 per cent of the votes, compared to 49.1 per cent for his young rival, Miranda state Governor Henrique Capriles. It said more than 99 per cent of the votes had been counted...  

Venezuela goes to election on Sunday to elect new president after Chavez

Caracas: Late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's socialist revolution would be put to test on Sunday when the country goes to polls to elect a new president. Chavez's chosen successor will compete against a younger rival who promises change in the nation that Chavez polarized. Most opinion polls give his protege, acting President Nicolas Maduro, a strong lead over opposition challenger Henrique Capriles thanks to Chavez's endorsement and the surge of...  

US denies plotting to kill Venezuelan opposition leader

The Obama administration on Monday rejected accusations of any US involvement in a plot to assassinate a Venezuelan opposition leader. "Let me say it here extremely clearly, looking right at you, the United States categorically rejects allegations of any US government involvement in any plot to destabilise the Venezuelan government or to harm anyone in Venezuela," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said at a regular press briefing. ...  

Venezuela's Maduro urges Obama to halt "plot" against rival

Venezuela's acting president urged US leader Barack Obama to stop what he called a plot by the Pentagon and the Central Intelligence Agency to kill his opposition rival and trigger a coup before an April 14, 2013, election. ...  

Venezuela sets presidential election for April 14, 3013

Venezuelans will vote April 14, 2013, to choose a successor to Hugo Chavez, the elections commission announced on Saturday as increasingly strident political rhetoric begins to roil this polarized country. ...  

Venezuela bids farewell to President Hugo Chavez

World leaders, athletes and left-wing celebrities gathered at a music-filled state funeral honouring Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Friday, with multitudes waiting outside, the start of a day that will end with the swearing in of his hand-picked successor as interim president. ...  

High court affirms Maduro as acting president

Venezuela's Supreme Court says Vice President Nicolas Maduro became acting president the moment Hugo Chavez died, and can run for president. The decision comes just hours before Maduro is to be sworn in as acting president before the National Assembly and it was issued during the state funeral for Chavez. National Assembly speaker Diosdado Cabello had earlier announced the planned swearing-in, which the opposition says it is boycotting. ...  

Hugo Chavez's body to be embalmed for public view

Venezuela's Hugo Chavez will be embalmed and put on display "for eternity" at a military museum after a state funeral and an extended period of lying in state, acting President Nicolas Maduro said on Thursday. Huge crowds are still waiting to pay their respects to Chavez after his death this week, and Maduro said the move - reminiscent of the treatment of Communist leaders Lenin, Stalin and Mao after their...  

Heart attack killed Hugo Chavez, says his head guard

President Hugo Chavez died of a massive heart attack after great suffering and inaudibly mouthed his desire to live, the head of Venezuela's presidential guard said late Wednesday. "He couldn't speak but he said it with his lips ... 'I don't want to die. Please don't let me die,' because he loved his country, he sacrificed himself for his country," Gen Jose Ornella told reporters. ...  

Venezuela: Hugo Chavez's coffin taken to military academy

The coffin of Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez was taken to a military academy where he will lie in state for three days, as throngs of weeping supporters swarmed Caracas streets to bid farewell. ...  

Mourning Venezuelans parade Chavez's coffin, prepare for vote

Weeping and shouting, a sea of Hugo Chavez's supporters paraded his coffin through the streets of Caracas on Wednesday in an emotional outpouring that could help his deputy win an election and keep his self-styled socialist revolution alive. ...  

Maduro to be Venezuelan govt's candidate for prez election

Venezuelans mourned the death of Hugo Chavez and prepared on Wednesday for his body to lie in state as attention turns to a new election to succeed the socialist leader after 14 years of tumultuous and divisive rule. The 58-year-old president died on Tuesday after a two-year battle with cancer that was first detected in his pelvis. He had suffered multiple complications following his latest operation on December 11 and...  

Hugo Chavez loses his battle with cancer, dies at 58

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez lost his battle with cancer, silencing the leading voice of the Latin American left and plunging his divided oil-rich nation into an uncertain future. ...

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez dies, officials call for unity

Some in anguish, some in fear, Venezuelans raced for home on Tuesday after the government announced the death of President Hugo Chavez, the firebrand socialist who led the nation for 14 years. ...  

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez dies of cancer at 58

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has died after a two-year battle with cancer, ending the socialist leader's 14-year rule of the South American country, Vice President Nicolas Maduro said in a televised speech. ...  

Venezuelan President Chavez's breathing problems worsen

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's breathing problems have worsened and he is suffering from a "severe" new respiratory infection as he struggles to recover from cancer surgery, the government said in a somber medical update on Monday. The 58-year-old socialist leader has not been seen in public nor heard from in almost three months since undergoing the operation in Cuba. It was his fourth surgery since the disease was detected in...  

Chavez returns to Venezuela after cancer surgery in Cuba

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez made a surprise return from Cuba on Monday, more than two months after surgery for cancer that has jeopardized his 14-year rule of the South American OPEC nation. The middle-of-the-night homecoming implies some medical improvement - at least enough to handle a flight of several hours - and will again fire up supporters with hope that the socialist leader could return to active rule. ...  

Venezuela's sick President misses own inauguration bash

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez remained on his sickbed in Cuba on January 10 while thousands of supporters rallied in his honor on the day he should have been sworn in for a new six-year term in the South American OPEC nation. The postponement of the inauguration, a first in Venezuelan history, has laid bare the gravity of Chavez's condition after complications from a fourth cancer operation in his pelvic area....