By Catherine E. Shoichet CNN
Venezuela: Maduro waits in the wings
Chavez discusses desired successor as he fights cancer
UPDATED 12:48 PM EST Dec 09, 2012

CNN) —
He began his career as a bus driver in Caracas, then rose through the ranks to become a member of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's inner circle

Now, if Chavez's health worsens, Vice President Nicolas Maduro could be the one to take the reins.

Chavez, who is battling cancer, said Saturday that Maduro should replace him "if something were to happen that would incapacitate me."

"My firm opinion, as clear as the full moon -- irrevocable, absolute, total -- is ... that you elect Nicolas Maduro as president," Chavez said, waving a copy of the Venezuelan Constitution as he spoke. "I ask this of you from my heart. He is one of the young leaders with the greatest ability to continue, if I cannot."

More:
http://www.wcvb.com/news/national/Venezuela-Maduro-waits-in-the-wings/-/9848944/17709866/-/r4gukmz/-/index.html#ixzz2EaS0pOzS

There are so many ways to fight cancer now. He will need rest as well obviously.

Before More Cancer Surgery, Chávez Had Some Political Fences to Mend at Home



[font size=1]Isaac Urrutia/Reuters

Followers of President Hugo Chávez showed steadfast support on Sunday in central Caracas.

By WILLIAM NEUMAN
Published: December 9, 2012 [/font]

LA PAZ, Bolivia — President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela has flown repeatedly to Cuba this year for cancer treatments, but the flight that took him back to Caracas on Friday may have been the most meaningful of all.

Mr. Chávez postponed emergency cancer surgery to return home, meet with his inner circle and announce on television on Saturday, for the first time, that he had picked the man he wanted to lead his socialist revolution when he is gone — something he seemed to suggest might come sooner than his millions of followers would hope.

He was scheduled to fly to Cuba again on Sunday night to prepare for surgery.

Mr. Chávez could well recover and remain a potent force, but on Saturday night he seemed intent on smoothing over factions within his party and solidifying support for the man he chose to succeed him, Vice President Nicolás Maduro.

Mr. Chávez, 58, spoke the word “unity” several times during Saturday’s somber, symbolically weighted appearance. To his left sat Mr. Maduro, and behind both of them viewers could see a bust of Mr. Chávez’s hero, the South American independence leader Simón Bolívar (who never realized his dream of unifying a fractious continent).

More:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/10/world/americas/chavez-put-party-unity-before-another-cancer-surgery.html

Updated December 9, 2012, 8:29 p.m. ET
Vice President, Chávez's Choice as Successor, Built Global Alliances

By KEJAL VYAS And JOSÉ DE CÓRDOBA

CARACAS—Nicolas Maduro has gone from driving a bus to becoming ailing President Hugo Chávez's handpicked choice to continue his vision of socialism and possibly lead Venezuela, an oil-rich republic of 29 million.

Mr. Chávez, who said this past weekend he has suffered another relapse in his long battle with cancer, named Mr. Maduro as his successor. It was the first time Mr. Chávez talked publicly about who might replace him, prompting many analysts to speculate that the former army tank commander believes himself to be terminally ill.

Mr. Chávez heaped praise on the man who has been his globetrotting foreign minister, as well as vice president, for the last six years. "Comrade Nicolas Maduro, a true revolutionary, a man of great experience despite his youth, of a great dedication to work, and a great capacity to conduct groups, to manage difficult situations. I have him seen him do it," the president said.

Tall, mustachioed, and affable, the 50-year-old Mr. Maduro came up through working class ranks—a tale that could help his street credibility with Chávez backers. In middle school, he was a member of a socialist youth organization and played bass in a rock band called Enigma. He later drove a bus linked to Caracas's subway system, and rose up to become union leader of the subway workers. He eventually won a seat in congress and went on to hold the legislature's top post.

More:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324024004578169574213602976.html