Venezuela forced to face prospect of life without president Hugo Chavez Under the constitution, new elections must be held if the President is too ill to be sworn in

Venezuela forced to face prospect of life without president Hugo Chavez Under the constitution, new elections must be held if the President is too ill to be sworn in
As Hugo Chavez struggles to recover from his fourth cancer operation in 18 months, Venezuelans are digesting the fact that he may be too ill to be sworn in next Thursday for his fourth successive presidential term. Mr Chavez, 58, has been suffering from complications including a severe respiratory infection and has not been seen in public since shortly before his surgery on 11 December. Yesterday, Nicolas Maduro, the country’s Vice-President, said after visiting Mr Chavez in Cuba that the president’s health was “complex and delicate” but insisted he was slowly recovering. “We…Read more …