By Jaime Ortega.
Medical realities challenged support for the electoral campaign that managed to forget, in some instances, the tragic concerns that lead ultimately to his death. Hugo Chavez even said, “I am completely healthy.” But he was not! Hugo Chavez was unable to overcome from the complications brought on during his fourth unsuccessful surgery on Dec. 11 in Havana when Chavez officially lost the battle against cancer.
The President of Venezuela died in Caracas after a long convalescence, first in Cuba and then in a Venezuelan military hospital.
Vice President Nicolás Maduro has appeared in all State channels to announce Chavez’s death, which occurred at 16.25 local time. With tears in his eyes Maduro said that all the Bolivarian forces were deployed to assure the security of the country.
According to the Constitution Parliament President Diosdado Cabello should now take office, and he must call elections within a month. The Venezuelan government functioning with Nicolas Maduro as interim president has declared seven days of mourning in the country and announced that the state funeral will take place this Friday in Caracas.
Hugo Chavez died after 14 years as leader in a government absolutely focused on his persona. The voters showed their confidence again on the 7 of October by re-electing Chavez for a new six-year period, until 2019.
He once said that his dream was to lead his ‘Bolivarian revolution’ until 2031. But that will remain unfulfilled.
Shortly after returning to win the elections, and after an election campaign that was avoided at all times due to the health status of President Chavez, he was forced to announce that he needed a new operation for which he had to travel to Havana.
He had always played down his illness until the day optimism gave way to concern. For the first time the people were aware of the seriousness of his health after the revolutionary leader, with a gesture sorrow, asked his voters to support his Vice President Nicolás Maduro in the new elections.
He could not even wait to be sworn in as President for the 2013-2019 term and on December 11 in Havana was undergoing a fourth operation for cancer — a complex intervention that lasted six hours. A respiratory infection moved ever further away the possibility that Chavez could attend the takeover on January 11.
Finally, despite the protests of the opposition, it was decided that his presence was not necessary to assume the Presidency.
After two months of convalescence in Cuba, Chavez returned to Caracas and was held at the Military Hospital for further treatment. However, he never recovered from respiratory problems that were undermining his health.
The onset of disease
His vitality and frenetic activity suffered a setback in June 2011 when he underwent emergency surgery in Havana. Then they said it was for a pelvic abscess, but reality soon showed that it was cancer. Fifteen days later Chavez returned to remove a cancerous tumor in the abdomen, which the President mentioned without details concerning the depth of the disease.
Despite the fact that the state had been deteriorating throughout 2012, secrecy about the tumor was all downplayed until after the last presidential election.
After the second surgery it was said his cancer was cured, but soon President Chavez underwent chemotherapy in the Caribbean Islands. However, last February there was an operation for what he called a “recurrence” of cancer and then was treated with radiotherapy.
Three months after completion of radiation therapy, Chavez took the hard task of another election but with a campaign which limited his public appearances. He managed a victory with 55% of the votes against 44% for the opposition’s Henrique Capriles.
After being declared the winner, the President virtually disappeared from the public eye, with few television appearances, in which he admitted having addressed the campaign for reelection in poor health. Soon after the recurrence of cancer was confirmed and Chavez left the country in the hands of Nicolas Maduro.
Born in Sabaneta on July 28, 1954, he became interested in the figure of Simon Bolivar and his idea of liberating people through a revolution, when he left his hometown to start his military studies. Since then this was his model with coups and a stay in prison included. He has a legion of loyal fans who loved him and had been praying for his recovery. But also left behind is an equal amount of detractors.
Rumors that took place
Rumors of his death did not emerge as an unnoticed scandal and this week were accentuated in such a degree that the military and political leadership of the Government held an emergency meeting Tuesday to discuss these issues and make an announcement to the public. Those who have followed the case closely hoped that before Chavez death, the Vice President Nicolas Maduro would address the fact that Chavez was not fit to rule, because his condition was extremely serious. This belief was based on the words of the Minister of Communication, Ernesto Villegas, who confirmed Monday night by stating, “Chavez is in delicate state.”
But instead,with a combative tone, Maduro was devoted to conspiracy theories and pointed to the culprit of the illness. He pointed to “the enemies of imperialism” as the cause of cancer. A strange appearance of attacks that focused on the “extreme right” and “traitors of the fatherland” and in which only his last minutes hinted bad omens. On December 11 Maduro announce that a newer statement confirming Chavez’s death would follow hours later.
And at 2.45 PM (Caracas time) it was confirmed in the news. With different expressions than he showed just four hours before his death, Nicolás Maduro, Chavez successor appeared in all networks to announce the death of the commander. “Hugo Chavez, who raised the banner of socialism, died today at 16.25 local time, after almost two years of fighting cancer in the abdominal area.”
In an effort to justify his previous appearance in which he said nothing about the possibility of imminent death, Maduro said that after a meeting in the morning with the political and military high command of the country he went to the Military Hospital in Caracas “to follow his health”. He was then informed of the situation and was given the “hard and tragic information that we convey to our people.”
Chavez died due to complications during postoperative therapy for cancer surgery which he underwent in Cuba on December 11, which was the fourth since he was diagnosed in June 2011.
“Her mother, Elena, his father, Don Hugo de los Reyes, brothers, daughters, grandchildren, and all our people we convey our sorrow and our solidarity,” he said.
“In this immense pain of this historic tragedy that touches our country today we call our fellow men and women of all ages to be caretakers of peace,” said Maduro.
When and where?
However, information on the health of Chavez have been widely criticized by the public and the opposition, who have repeatedly accused the government of hiding information. The rare announcement of the death in two very different phases does not seem to help dispel the doubts.
In fact, several voices said the President died in Havana, although Maduro says it happened in the Venezuelan military hospital in Caracas.
After the death of Chavez they called for new elections. According to the Constitution the President of the National Assembly (Congress), Dios Dado Cabello, must assume power until new elections are convened within a month.
