Venezuela has been preparing for two distinct ceremonies during its official mourning for former president Hugo Chavez: first for the state funeral of the charismatic leader, and then the formal swearing in of Vice President Nicolas Maduro as interim president.
The scale and speed of both events have overtaken the Latin American oil producing nation since the announcement of Chavez’s death from respiratory complications following cancer surgery on March 5.
The funeral, for instance, attracted leaders from five continents, and a huge security detail, with some critics wondering if it was right to commemorate Chavez, who was in power for 14 years, as a war hero. Maduro’s appointment is also being questioned as the opposition parties insist that he has no constitutional right to be in power.
The “mourning” has become as much an act of political symbolism as a protracted farewell to a popular leader. Middle class votes were key to propelling Hugo Chavez to power, and it was towards this section of Venezuela that most of his populist schemes using the oil wealth of the nation were aimed at.
Despite the widely advertised programmes of social reform and subsidised healthcare, however, opposition to Chavez had grown steadily, especially as many consider him to have steered the country from socialism to a one-party rule.
His remarks on the US using “terror to fight terror” during the war in Afghanistan pushed relations with Washington to a new low. Though his illness prevented him from being sworn in, Chavez retained the vote of his people in the fourth election in October 2012.
Chavez had started out to reform the economic disparities in his country, and had to an extent succeeded. Venezuela is known to have the fairest income distribution in Latin America.
But his desire to assume the mantle of a leader to subdue the US influence in Latin America may have cost him his image, and a lot of his long-term plans.
The constitution of the country stipulates that elections must be held within 30 days of the president’s death. Maduro, who has announced his decision to run for office as the candidate of Chavez’s ruling socialist party against the likely opposition candidate Henrique Capriles, is expected to win the vote on a sympathy wave.
Chavez had risen through the ranks from soldier to president; his successor will have to decide on what role the military will play in the governance of Venezuela. Despite a constitutional mandate on neutrality, the Venezuelan military is highly politicised. Chavez nominated as 11 ex-military officers for governorships last year.
Venezuela’s future will hinge on the memories of a leader who could not only make the poor matter, but also alienate people by acting like a dictator.