Share your thoughts on Hugo Chavez.
Story highlights
Chavez's death leaves many unanswered questions
Chavez was the leader of Venezuela for 14 years
Former vice president Nicolás Maduro will take over as president until an election
Thousands of Venezuelans are expected to line the streets Wednesday morning as Hugo Chavez’s remains are taken from the military hospital where he died to the Fuerte Tiuna Military Academy in Caracas.
Presidents arrived in the country for the funeral procession, including Uruguay’s Jose Mujica, Argentina’s Cristina Kirchner and Bolivia’s Evo Morales.
The country has declared seven days of mourning, closed schools for the rest of the week and deployed armed forces to “guarantee peace.”
The death of the longtime charismatic but controversial leader Tuesday leaves many unanswered questions that Venezuela and the world must now grapple with.
Who is expected to succeed Chavez?
In the short term, Vice President Nicolas Maduro will take over as president of Venezuela until an election is held. He is Chavez’s hand-picked successor and delivered the news to the country of the longtime leader’s death.
Maduro, 50, has long been a high-profile face in Chavez’s administration. He rose from a career as a bus driver in Caracas to Chavez’s inner circle.
Venezuela’s interim leader thrust into spotlight
What is Maduro’s reputation?
Chavez minced no words in his support of Maduro.
“I ask this of you from my heart,” Chavez told a crowd in December about Maduro. “He is one of the young leaders with the greatest ability to continue, if I cannot.”
But other opinions are mixed.
Maduro has been Venezuela’s vice president and foreign minister and has been the recent author of some the country’s most radical policies, said Javier Corrales, a professor of political science at Amherst College in Massachusetts.
“But he also has been behind some of the most pragmatic and conciliatory decisions, including the turnaround in relations with Colombia,” Corrales said.
When will elections take place?
An election will be called within 30 days, Foreign Minister Elias Jaua said Tuesday.
’10 reasons why I will not miss Chavez’
What power, if any, does the opposition have?
Though Chavez has held a tight grip on his presidency for 14 years, there is an opposition movement in Venezuela.
A coalition between former presidential candidate Henrique Capriles Radonski and a group called the Democratic Unity Roundtable has made the country’s opposition the strongest it has ever been, some analysts say. But, says Carl Meacham of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the opposition may still not be strong enough.
“Capriles’ 11-point defeat in October’s presidential election, coupled with Chavez’s allies winning 20 of 23 gubernatorial elections in December, underscores the fact that the opposition still holds little power,” Meacham says.
Will Chavez’s death improve relations with the United States?
Chavez, for years had a stormy relationship with the U.S., and would stir up nationalistic sentiment and popularity by picking fights with the “imperialist” United States and its allies.
Senior American officials don’t expect the relationship to change dramatically – at least in the short term – primarily because Chavez’s system still exists.
He leaves the economy more equal, less stable
The post-Chavez era started out tumultuously Tuesday when Venezuelan officials accused two U.S. Embassy officials of plotting to destabilize the country and said it was expelling them.
The United States will stay out of the upcoming election, an Obama administration official said. But the White House wants it to be “free and fair and credible,” the official said.
The U.S. remains open to restoring diplomatic relations with an ambassador regardless of the winner, the official said.
U.S. open to ‘more constructive relationship’ with Venezuela
Why does the U.S. want better relations
One reason analysts point to is Iran.
The U.S. may seek Venezuela’s help in imposing sanctions on Iran for its nuclear program, senior American officials said.
Iran and Venezuela have close relations.
Last year, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad traveled to Venezuela as part of a tour of Latin America. The two leaders vowed to work together.
Over the years, the two nations have signed more than 270 accords, including trade deals and agreements on construction projects, car and tractor factories, energy initiatives and banking programs.
The other is oil.
Will the death affect Venezuela’s oil supply?
It may, some analysts say – and that would be a huge concern for the United States.
Venezuela remains the fourth-biggest oil supplier to the U.S. market. If the power vacuum causes exports to drop, U.S. consumers could face higher prices and another hit to the U.S. economy, analysts say.
When is Chavez’s funeral planned?
Venezuela is planning a state funeral Friday that is expected to be attended by regional and world leaders and dignitaries, including Ahmadinejad. Chavez will be buried after the ceremony but officials have not said where.
What has been the reaction to the death?
Chavez allies, such as leaders of Ecuador, China, Iran and Cuba, expressed sorrow and solidarity.
Bolivian President Evo Morales’ voice cracked as he spoke to reporters, describing Chavez as someone “who gave all his life for the liberation of the Venezuelan people … of all the anti-imperialists and anti-capitalists of the world.”
Longtime critics had a different view, with some saying his death could be seen as an opportunity for change.
“At this key juncture, I hope the people of Venezuela can now build for themselves a better, brighter future based on the principles of freedom, democracy,” Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper said.
Opinions varied too among CNN readers who offered their thoughts on iReport.
“We can’t in the U.S. always looks at somebody and just label them as a dictator,” said Omekongo Dibinga, a motivational speaker from Washington DC.
“At the end of the day, he’s somebody who really wanted to help others to do better. For that he should be respected, even by those who did not agree with his policies.”
Carlos Quijada said he fled Venezuela 10 years ago as a teen because there was no future there.
“My life was completely altered because of that man. And I will not hide the fact that I am happy that he is no longer alive,” he said. “I left Venezuela because my brother got kidnapped, our house got burglarized, cars stolen, my parents had an import business and the currency control made it impossible for them to import anything anymore.”
CNN’s Dana Ford, Mariano Castillo, Shasta Darlington, Rafael Romo, Henry Hanks and Sarah Brown contributed to this report.
