Hugo Chávez. Photograph by UKBERRI
Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez has died at the age of 58 “after battling a tough illness for nearly two years”, his vice-president Nicolas Maduro has announced in a televised address.
Chavez had been seriously ill with cancer and had undergone a number of serious operations in Cuba in the last year. In recent days it is understood that he had developed a new severe respiratory infection. He had not been seen in public for several months.
When making the announcement, Maduro was flanked by many of the country’s political and military leaders, he also said that he had little doubt that Chavez’s cancer had been the result of a conspiracy and foul play by Venezuela’s enemies and that a scientific commission could one day investigate the issue. He also announced that the government had expelled two US diplomats for allegedly spying on Venezuela’s military.
The Venezuelan government has deployed the armed forces and police around the country to “guarantee the peace”, with the country’s military saying in a statement that they would protect the sovereignty, integrity, and security of the country and would remain loyal to the nation’s parliament.
Chavez had just won another election to govern Venezuela for the next six years, but now under the constitution, the head Congress, Diosdado Cabello, will assume the interim presidency before another election is held.
