The President of Venezuela – Hugo Chavez, passed away on March 5, 2013, after he lost his battle with cancer. With the death of the president, the voice of the Latin American country has been silenced and has also left a question mark on the future of the oil-rich nation.
Vice president Nicolas Maduro, while announcing on TV said, “We have received the toughest and tragic information that… commandante President Hugo Chavez died today at 4:25 p.m.” The officials surrounding him shouted, “Long live Chavez”.
The 58-year-old president was admitted to a hospital on February 18, 2013, to continue chemotherapy after two months in Cuba. In the month of December 2012, he had undergone his fourth round of cancer surgery since June 2011. After 14 years of Chavez’s rule, the Venezuelans will now face the prospect of snap elections.
Last month, only a few pictures of him were released, which showed the politician in his Havana hospital bed smiling, with his two daughters by his side. The government, for weeks did not clarify about the health of the president and one day warned that he was battling for his life. The opposition had constantly accused the government of lying about the president’s condition.
There was an outpouring of emotion across the country and people took to the streets to make their anguish known.
