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By: Irene Caselli -BBC news
Venezuela has announced seven days of mourning for Hugo Chavez, who has died aged 58, after 14 years as president.
Hundreds of Mr Chavez's supporters took to the streets of Caracas to express their grief.Mr Chavez had been seriously ill with cancer for more than a year. A self-proclaimed revolutionary, Hugo Chavez was a controversial figure in Venezuela and on the world stage. A staunch critic of the US, he inspired a left-wing revival across Latin America.
His body will be taken in a procession to the
Military Academy in Caracas where it will lie in state until a state
funeral on Friday. All schools and universities have been shut for the
week.
Caracas was quiet following the news of Mr Chavez's death,
with many shops and businesses shutting. Crowds of supporters gathered
outside the Caracas hospital where he died, chanting "We are all
Chavez!" Mr Chavez's illness prevented him from taking the oath of office after he was re-elected for a fourth term in October. Announcing the death on Tuesday, Vice-President Nicolas Maduro called on the nation to close ranks after its leader's demise. "Let there be no weakness, no violence. Let there be no hate. In our hearts there should only be one sentiment: Love." Police and troops would be deployed nationwide "to guarantee the peace", he added. A statement from the military said it would remain loyal to the vice-president and to parliament, it added, urging people to remain calm. There were isolated reports of violence after the news of Chavez's death, with attackers burning the tents of a group of students who had been demanding more information about Mr Chavez's condition. Nobody was injured in the incident. Hugo Chavez - Back groung |
- 1954: Born 28 July in Sabaneta, Barinas state, the son of schoolteachers
- 1975: Graduated from Venezuelan Academy of Military Sciences
- 1992: Leads doomed attempt to overthrow government of President Carlos Andres Perez, jailed for two years
- 1994: Relaunches his party as the Movement of the Fifth Republic
- 1999: Takes office after winning 1998 election
- 2002: Abortive coup. Returns to power after two days
- 2011: Reveals he is being treated for cancer
- 2012 (October): Re-elected for another six-year term
- 2012 (December): Has fourth cancer operation in Cuba
- 2013 (February): Returns to Venezuela to continue treatment
- 2013 (March): Death is announced by Venezuelan government
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