Venezuela:
New post-operative complications spur talk he’s terminal.
President Hugo Chavez’s complications after cancer surgery stirs growing speculation about whether the ailing leader has long to live.
CARACAS, VenezuelA — President Hugo Chavez’s new complications after cancer surgery prompted his closest allies to call for Venezuelans to pray for him Monday, presenting an increasingly bleak outlook and prompting growing speculation about whether the ailing leader has long to live.
Vice President Nicolas Maduro spoke with a solemn expression Sunday as he said in a televised address from Havana that Chavez now confronts “new complications” from a respiratory infection nearly three weeks after his operation.
He described Chavez’s condition as delicate.
The streets of Caracas were abuzz Monday with talk of Chavez’s tough fight, while the news led the front pages of the country’s newspapers.
“He’s history now,” said Cesar Amaro, a street vendor selling newspapers and snacks at a kiosk in downtown Caracas.
He motioned to a newspaper showing side-byside photos of Maduro and National Assembly President Diosdado Cabello, and said politics will now turn to them.
Amaro said he expects a new election soon to replace Chavez.
“For an illness like the one the president has, his days are numbered now,” he said matter-of-factly.
A government-organized New Year’s Eve concert had been planned in a downtown Caracas plaza featuring popular Venezuelan bands, but was canceled due to Chavez’s condition.
The president’s aides sang and prayed at a televised Mass held at the presidential palace, while Chavez’s allies urged Venezuelans to keep their president in their prayers.
Political analyst Ricardo Sucre said the outlook for Chavez appears grim. “Everything suggests Chavez’s health situation hasn’t evolved as hoped.” He said Maduro likely remained in Havana to keep watch on how Chavez’s condition develops.