Venezuelan army backs ailing Chavez
(CNN) -- Venezuela's armed forces will back ailing
President Hugo Chavez's new term amid uncertainty of what a possible
power transition might look like, the country's defense minister said.
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January 17, 2013 -- Updated 0302 GMT (1102 HKT)
The Venezuelan army attend a mass for the health of President Hugo Chavez, in Caracas, December 13, 2012.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: Political tensions in Venezuela spill over into a regional meeting
- The armed forces will defend the Supreme Court's decision on the presidency
- The court said Chavez remains president and can be sworn in at a later date
- The army has "unconditional loyalty" to Chavez, the defense minister says
Chavez was unable to be
sworn in last week for a new term because he is in Cuba recovering from a
fourth cancer surgery. His absence at the inauguration raised
constitutional questions about who is in charge of the country,
opposition politicians said.
The Supreme Court clarified the issue last week, ruling that Chavez remains president and can be sworn in at a later date.
Daily struggle for food in Venezuela
Venezuelan opposition: Where is Chavez?
Chavez supporters stage rally
The army will defend that decision, Defense Minister Diego Molero Bellavia said Wednesday.
"Soldiers will abide by
and enforce the Supreme Court decision to allow the head of state to
return home when his health improves," he said.
Molero added that the armed forces have "unconditional loyalty, now more than ever, to commander Hugo Chavez."
On Sunday, officials said
Chavez's health was progressing positively and that the 58-year-old
Venezuelan president was conscious and in contact with his family and
political and medical advisers.
"In spite of the
delicate state of his health... the general medical evolution has been
favorable in recent days," a government statement said, noting that a
lung infection Chavez has been battling was under control.
Neither Chavez nor the
government has said what type of cancer he has, sparking growing
speculation about his health and political future. Opposition
politicians have decried the lack of transparency, while government
officials have accused political opponents and right-wing media of
trying to destabilize the government by spreading rumors.
Chavez has not made a
public appearance or spoken on state television since doctors operated
on him more than a month ago. The long absence is not typical of the
loquacious leader.
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On Tuesday, Vice
President Nicolas Maduro stood in for Chavez at the annual state of the
union speech. Maduro announced that a former vice president, Elias Jaua,
will begin serving as foreign minister. Maduro said that Chavez himself
made the designation.
Some opposition
politicians questioned whether Chavez had actually nominated a new
foreign minister, or whether Maduro had effectively taken over the
presidency.
"If the president of the
republic can sign decrees, I call on him to appear and speak to
Venezuela and tell the people what's happening in our government,
because in Venezuela what we have is lack of governance," said Henrique
Capriles, who unsuccessfully ran against Chavez in the last elections.
Capriles spoke at his
own inauguration, as governor of the state of Miranda, a post he was
elected to following his presidential defeat. He accused the Chavez
government of trying to divide the public.
"Never again will
Venezuelans fight among themselves," he said. "Never again will we ask
the people to get involved in a war. This government wants war; we want
peace. This government wants to go backwards; we want progress."
The rising political tension in Venezuela spilled over into a meeting of the Organization of American States on Wednesday.
Panama's ambassador,
Guillermo Cochez, criticized the regional body for not taking a stand
against the situation in Venezuela, which he described as a "sick
democracy."
Venezuelan Ambassador
Roy Chaderton quickly fired back, calling Cochez's comments "poisonous"
and "miserable" and accusing him of conspiring with members of the
opposition to destabilize Venezuela's government.
Hours later, Panama's
government disavowed Cochez's remarks, saying they were improvised and
did not represent the country's position.
"Panama reiterates that
it will continue to respect to the internal political processes of
states," Panama's foreign ministry said in a statement, "and, in the
case of Venezuela, we are praying for the quick recovery of President
Hugo Chavez."
CNN's Catherine E. Shoichet and Rafael Romo contributed to this report.
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