Death and state funeral of Hugo Chávez
The death of Hugo Chávez, president of Venezuela, was announced by government officials to have been on 5 March 2013 at 16:25 VET in Caracas, Venezuela, from cancer at the age of 58.
Chávez was first elected as president in 1998 and was re-elected in 2000, 2006 and 2012. However, Chávez was unable to be sworn in for a fourth term after the 2012 election due to his illness. Under the terms of the constitution, his death triggered an early presidential election, which was won by his vice president Nicolás Maduro.
Illness and death
Chávez was diagnosed with cancer following the discovery of a mass in his pelvic region in June 2011. He traveled to Havana, Cuba, where he underwent a surgical operation to remove a malignant cancerous tissue mass 'about the size of a baseball' from his waist. He underwent a second surgical operation in Venezuela one month later. Over the next 12 months, he followed a cycle of chemotherapy. The type of cancer Chávez was diagnosed with was never made public, which fueled speculation over his condition.In the 2012 presidential election, Chávez was successfully re-elected to a fourth term. Upon returning to Cuba in late November 2012, however, Chávez learned that his cancer had returned and metastasised. He returned briefly to Venezuela in December 2012 to publicly announce his illness and returned to Cuba on 10 December for further cancer treatment, later returning to Venezuela and staying at a Caracas military hospital. Despite rumors by Venezuelan defectors that he died at the end of December, the government assured that Chávez was still alive and provided successive announcements of his return and updates of his health, which were criticised by the country's opposition as the population were unaware of the exact state of his health as well as his location. After the first lung infection in the last stages of his life, Chávez was intubated nearing the end of December. His breathing worsened until his death in Caracas on 5 March 2013, almost two years after he was first diagnosed.
Vice President Nicolás Maduro announced Chávez's death on a mandatory television cadena. In an emotional eulogy Maduro said: "Let there be no weakness, no violence. Let there be no hate. In our hearts there should only be one feeling: Love." Maduro indicated that Chávez had died "after battling a tough illness for nearly two years." He added that police and troops would be deployed across the country "to guarantee the peace." The head of the presidential guard said Chávez died of a massive heart attack after great suffering and had inaudibly mouthed his desire to live. In an interview to the Associated Press, he said that Chávez could not speak but he said with his lips... "I don't want to die. Please don't let me die". The BBC reported isolated incidents of violence following the announcement of Chávez's death. Although pro-Chávez supporters attacked and burned tents of students who had camped demanding more official information about Chávez's health, there were no reported injuries. Vice President Maduro indicated he had "no doubt" of foul play by "the historical enemies of our fatherland" behind Chávez's illness and death. Defence Minister Diego Morelo Bellavia said that the "Bolivarian" armed forces would be loyal to the vice president and National Assembly and urged supporters and opposition to remain calm.
Early death rumours
After defecting from Venezuela, former bodyguard for Chávez, Leamsy Salazar, stated that he died in December 2012, nearly three months before the 5 March 2013 date was officially announced.In July 2018, former Attorney General Luisa Ortega Díaz also said that Chávez had actually died in December 2012 and the announcement of his death was delayed for political reasons. In an interview cited by Venezuelan daily El Nacional, the former Chávez supporter said that the Venezuelan president died on 28 December 2012, but his closest allies decided to delay the announcement and never submitted the death certificate to the Office of the Attorney General.
The supposed delay in announcing Chávez's death raised concerns that laws signed in his name during that period were forged for political purposes.
Reactions
Domestic
Thousands of people flooded the streets of the capital Caracas. Many cried and hugged in public shows of emotion. Women were weeping at Miraflores Palace. With a mixture of joy and sadness Chávez supporters shared their impressions after him a last farewell: "That man emanates a force forward and his face says my people.". People left work for the day upon hearing the news, shops and offices shut and cars and buses filled the streets.Opposition leader and opponent in the 2012 election, Henrique Capriles, called on the government to "act in strict accordance with its constitutional duties." He also added his condolences to Chávez's family saying "we were adversaries, but never enemies". Acting President Nicolás Maduro said he believed Chávez was assassinated by Venezuela's "historical enemies", and that a "scientific commission" would investigate this possibility. The U.S. State Department denied any American involvement in Chávez's death, calling the claim "absurd".
On the first anniversary of Chávez's death on 6 March 2014, tens of thousands of his supporters marched through cities across Venezuela. This was coupled with the 2014 Venezuelan protests featuring pro and anti-government demonstrations.
Foreign
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's office issued a statement expressing condolences.Reactions within the Americas by citizens occurred outside Venezuela's embassies all throughout Latin America.
Latin America and the Caribbean
Secretary General of Organization of American States José Miguel Insulza ordered the body's flags to be flown at half-mast and the convening of a special meeting of the Permanent Council in memory of Chávez.After announcing Hugo Chávez's death, Bolivian president Evo Morales broke down and cried on national television while paying tribute to Chávez; Morales then decreed seven days of mourning in Bolivia after Chávez's death. Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff, who had cancelled a scheduled trip to Argentina to meet President Kirchner, led a minute of silence in Brasília. Rousseff decreed three days of mourning. Rousseff's predecessor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, also expressed grief. Salvadorian president Mauricio Funes and Chilean president Sebastián Piñera both praised Chávez's strong character, and the Chilean government declared three days of national mourning for Chávez.
The Cuban Council of State decreed two days of official mourning, from 6 am on 6 March to midnight on 7 March, and a third day of national mourning on 8 March. The presidents of Dominican Republic, Haiti, Uruguay and Ecuador all decreed three days of mourning for Chávez.
Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega declared seven days of mourning. Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos, Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto lamented the death of Chávez; The Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a press release expressing condolences and "our feeling of fraternity". Colombia ordered its 15 consulates in Venezuela temporarily closed to observe the days of mourning. Guyanese president Donald Ramotar and Guatemalan president Otto Pérez Molina regretted losing a "friend". Ramotar and Honduran president Porfirio Lobo praised Chávez for his contribution to regional integration; the National Congress of Honduras addressed a minute of silence.
Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica said that special arrangements would be made for an official tribute to Chávez. Uruguay announced that President José Mujica was in Argentina for a summit when Chávez died, but that he would fly to Caracas with Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner to attend the funeral. Argentina declared three days of mourning.
North America
Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper offered his condolences; former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien eulogised in a televised interview.Suggestions of American foul play, implying that Chávez had been poisoned or somehow infected with cancer, were vehemently denied by the U.S. Department of State as "absurd".
In Miami, some Venezuelans joyfully celebrated Chávez's death, and were cautiously optimistic of new elections for Chávez's successor; an estimated 189,219 Venezuelans live in the United States, most of whom are anti-Chávez. United States President Barack Obama reaffirmed the support of the U.S. for the Venezuelan people and its interest in developing a constructive relationship with the Venezuelan government. Former president Jimmy Carter complimented Chávez's commitment to improving the lives of Venezuelans. According to a statement posted at the Carter Center website, Carter and his wife Rosalynn "came to know a man who expressed a vision to bring profound changes to his country to benefit especially those people who had felt neglected and marginalized."
Africa
, chairperson of the African Union Commission, conveyed her condolences to the family, government and people of Venezuela. The organisation observed a minute of silence at the A.U. headquarters on 8 March during the celebration of the International Women's Day.Algerian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, Gambian president Yahya Jammeh, Mauritanian president Mohamed Ould Abdelaziz, Sahrawi Republic president Mohamed Abdelaziz, South African president Jacob Zuma, Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir, Tanzanian president Jakaya Kikwete, all expressed their sorrow and offered their "deepest condolences". Jammeh proclaimed two national prayer days at Gambian mosques and churches for Chávez, on 8 and 10 March 2013. The Sahrawi government declared a day of national mourning.
Asia
Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai, President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev, Chinese president Hu Jintao and General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Xi Jinping, deputy director-general of the Taiwanese Foreign Ministry Calvin Ho, and Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh issued statements of "heartfelt condolences".Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, President of the Palestinian National Authority Mahmoud Abbas, Turkmenistan president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, as well as Vietnamese leaders – including Party general secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng, Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng, and National Assembly chairman Nguyễn Sinh Hùng – also expressed condolences; some lauded Chávez's achievements. Memorial services were scheduled to be held in Ramallah and other cities in the West Bank and senior Palestinian officials paid their respects at the Venezuelan Embassy in Ramallah. In Gaza City streets were decorated with Venezuelan flags and posters of Chávez. Hamas, leading the de facto government of the Gaza Strip, lauded Chávez as a "great leader"; the Syrian Arab News Agency paid homage to Chávez for taking "an honourable stance regarding the conspiracy against Syria". Iran declared a day of national mourning.