The Venezuelan government said on Wednesday it has suspended a channel of communications with Washington as it escalates tension and polarizes public opinion ahead of elections to replace the late president Hugo Chavez.
Venezuelan opposition presidential candidate on Monday vowed to end the OPEC nation's shipments of subsidized oil to the Castro brothers regime in Cuba, slamming acting President as a puppet of Havana.
Venezuela announced Saturday that it will hold a presidential election to succeed late leader Hugo Chavez on April 14 after his political heir took office. The national electoral council set the date one day after Nicolas Maduro, Chavez's handpicked successor, was sworn in as acting president in a ceremony largely boycotted by the opposition, which slammed it as unconstitutional.
Venezuela's opposition parties have unanimously agreed that governor of Miranda state, Henrique Capriles will run in an upcoming presidential election following the death of Hugo Chavez, party sources said on Wednesday.
Venezuelan Vice President Nicolas Maduro will take over as interim president of the country while elections are organized within 30 days following the death of Hugo Chavez, Foreign Minister Elias Jaua announced on Tuesday.
Tens of thousands of Venezuelans packed the centre of Caracas on the day that Hugo Chavez, cancer-stricken and hospitalized in Cuba for over a month, had to take office for another six years and ended the rally with hands up in a massive oath of loyalty to the president.
Presidents, Foreign ministers and representatives from 22 Latinamerican and Caribbean countries stamped their signatures to a declaration stating their commitment in support of Venezuela and its institutions in the international stage.
The shortest and most sober of a day of emotional speeches and promises was that from Uruguayan president Jose Mujica who asked the massive rally in support of President Hugo Chavez that if the Venezuelan leader “tomorrow is not with us”, then unity, peace and work must prevail.
Venezuela’s Supreme Tribunal constitutional chamber endorsed the postponement of Hugo Chavez inauguration scheduled for Thursday and ruled that the cancer-stricken leader remained as the constitutional president of the country since he was re-re-elected and was granted a leave of absence for medical reasons by the National Assembly.
Uruguayan president Jose Mujica leaves for Caracas “to support the government and people of Venezuela” on Thursday 10 January, the date in which convalescent re-re-elected president Hugo Chavez is supposed to take the oath of office.