CARACAS, March 6 (Reuters) – Venezuelans mourned the death
of Hugo Chavez and prepared on Wednesday for his body to lie in
state as attention turns to a new election to succeed the
socialist leader after 14 years of tumultuous and divisive rule.

The 58-year-old president died on Tuesday after a two-year
battle with cancer that was first detected in his pelvis. He had
suffered multiple complications following his latest operation
on Dec. 11 and had not been seen in public since then.

CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez died on Tuesday after his battle with cancer, ending the socialist leader’s extraordinary 14-year rule of the OPEC nation.

Here are some key facts about Chavez:

* Born to a poor family in Venezuela’s plains, or “llanos,” on July 28, 1954, Chavez once aspired to be a painter and then a professional baseball player in the U.S. Major Leagues.

CARACAS, March 5 (Reuters) – Venezuelan President Hugo
Chavez has died after a two-year battle with cancer, ending
the socialist leader’s 14-year rule of the South American
country, Vice President Nicolas Maduro said in a televised
speech on Tuesday.

The flamboyant 58-year-old leader had undergone four
operations in Cuba for a cancer that was first detected in his
pelvic region in mid-2011. His last surgery was on Dec. 11 and
he had not been seen in public since.

CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez died on Tuesday after his battle with cancer, ending the socialist leader’s extraordinary 14-year rule of the OPEC nation.

Here are some key facts about Chavez:

* Born to a poor family in Venezuela’s plains, or “llanos,” on July 28, 1954, Chavez once aspired to be a painter and then a professional baseball player in the U.S. Major Leagues.

CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s adoring supporters prayed and wept on Tuesday over a serious setback in his battle against a cancer that threatens to end his 14-year rule of the South American OPEC member.

“There is so much sadness and confusion,” said one die-hard “Chavista,” Marisol Aponte, a community worker in the slums of Caracas, her voice choking with emotion. “But we must be strong and put into practice all that he has taught us.”

CARACAS (Reuters) – Ailing Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has been undergoing “tougher” new treatment for cancer, including chemotherapy at the military hospital where he has been for the past two weeks, his vice president said.

Speaking after a Catholic Mass to pray for Chavez’s health, Nicolas Maduro described how the socialist president had personally given the order to leave Cuba in mid-February, two months after his latest cancer surgery there.

CARACAS, March 2 (Reuters) – Ailing Venezuelan President
Hugo Chavez has been undergoing “tougher” new treatment for
cancer, including chemotherapy at the military hospital where he
has been for the past two weeks, his vice president said.

Speaking after a Catholic Mass to pray for Chavez’s health,
Nicolas Maduro described how the socialist president had
personally given the order to leave Cuba in mid-February, two
months after his latest cancer surgery there.

CARACAS (Reuters) – Senior aides and relatives of Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez countered on Friday a crescendo of rumors that the socialist president may be dead from cancer, saying he was still battling for his life.

“There he is, continuing his fight, his battle, and we are sure of victory!” his older brother Adan Chavez, the governor of Barinas state, told cheering supporters.

CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuelan officials and relatives of Hugo Chavez countered on Friday a crescendo of rumors that the socialist president may be dead from cancer, saying he was still battling for his life.

“There he is, continuing his fight, his battle, and we are sure of victory!” his brother Adan Chavez, the governor of Barinas state, told cheering supporters during an event.

CARACAS (Reuters) – Opposition leaders plot strategy behind closed doors. The government’s presumed candidate blitzes the airwaves. Posters plaster walls.

Hugo Chavez is still president, but Venezuela feels like a nation heading fast towards an election for his successor.