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Hugo Chavez, President Of Venezuela, Dies At 58
By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 5, 2013
Modified Mar 5, 2013
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By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 5, 2013
Modified Mar 5, 2013
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Hugo Chavez, the former army paratrooper turned socialist president of Venezuela, died today. Chavez, 58, had been battling cancer since 2011. Vice President Nicolas Maduro announced his death, noting that the 58-year-old passed away at 4:25 p.m. CNN reports, "Maduro teared up as he announced the news."
The Wall Street Journal's obituary notes that he "used Venezuela's oil riches to pursue his vision of socialism and challenge the U.S." However, as the NY Times explains, his death "[leaves] behind a bitterly divided nation in the grip of a political crisis that grew more acute as he languished for weeks, silent and out of sight in hospitals in Havana and Caracas." Further:
His departure from a country he dominated for 14 years casts into doubt the future of his socialist revolution. It alters the political balance in Venezuela, the fourth-largest foreign oil supplier to the United States, and in Latin America, where Mr. Chávez led a group of nations intent on reducing American influence in the region.
Mr. Chávez changed Venezuela in fundamental ways, empowering and energizing millions of poor people who had felt marginalized and excluded. But Mr. Chávez’s rule also widened society’s divisions. His death is sure to bring more changes and vast uncertainty as the nation tries to find its way without its central figure.
An election is supposed to take place within 30 days, with the vice president serving in the interim. Maduro did not give a date for elections, but urged Venezuelans to be calm and respectful, "We must unite now more than ever... Our people can count on having a government of men and women committed to protecting them."
Earlier today, Maduro had expelled two U.S. diplomats from the country and accused the U.S. and other countries of poisoning Chavez with cancer, "We have no doubt that Commandant Chávez was attacked with this illness, we have not a single doubt. The established enemies of our land specifically tried to harm the health of our leader."
In 2006, Chavez said at a United Nations General Assembly meeting that then-President George W. Bush was "the devil" and he could tell Bush had been there because he smelled sulfur. He also recommended that Americans read Noam Chomsky's Hegemony or Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance instead of watching Batman movies.
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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