Venezuelan Supreme Court Approves the Postponing of Hugo Chavez’s Inauguration
Luisa Estella Morales (R), President of the Venezuelan Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ), and magistrate Francisco Carrasquero attend a news conference in Caracas January 9, 2013. Venezuela will postpone the inauguration of President Hugo Chavez for a new term due to health problems, the government said on Tuesday, another sign the socialist leader’s cancer may be bringing an end to his 14 years in power. REUTERS/Jorge Silva (VENEZUELA – Tags: POLITICS HEALTH)
The Venezuelan Supreme Court has decided to give ailing president Hugo Chavez as much time as he needs to recover and return to Caracas. The swearing-in ceremony for Chavez’s new term had been scheduled – as per the country’s constitution – for tomorrow. But Venezuela’s Congress voted to postpone it indefinitely as Chavez is still too sick to travel from Cuba where he underwent emergency surgery last month. That means vice president Nicolas Maduro is in charge and the BBC’s Sarah Grainger in Caracas said it’s not clear whether a new election will be scheduled in the near future.