Chavez Delays Oath as Opponents Say He Should Cede Power
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Ailing Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez won’t be sworn in for a new term tomorrow, plunging the nation into an institutional crisis as the opposition called for the self-declared socialist to cede power temporarily as he recovers from cancer surgery in Cuba.
Vice President Nicolas Maduro, in a letter sent to lawmakers last night, said Chavez has requested more time to recover from cancer surgery in Cuba and won’t attend a scheduled Jan. 10 inauguration. Instead, the Supreme Court will administer the oath at a “later date” as allowed by the charter in exceptional circumstances, according to the letter.