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....
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."
The head of the opposition's Democratic Unity coalition, Ramon Aveledo, has accused the authorities of breaking a pledge to keep Venezuelans informed about Chávez's health.
And one opposition leader suggested on Thursday that legislators should form
an official commission to visit Cuba and assess the president's condition for
themselves. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/04/hugo-chavez-severe-lung-infection
Sounds like the Obama's administration definition of transparency.
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