CARACAS, Venezuela — Speculation that Hugo Chavez could be suffering from a serious illness is putting attention on a predicament for the president’s allies: It is unclear who could step forward if he had to step down.
Few Venezuelans are talking publicly about the possibility of Chavez leaving office, partly because top government officials and close relatives have said the president is recuperating in Cuba after surgery there two weeks ago.
Still, Chavez’s silence and seclusion since the operation have spurred talk about his health, stirring fears among some supporters that their leader could be seriously ill.
Under Venezuela’s constitution, Vice President Elias Jaua would take the president’s place during “temporary” absences of up to 90 days. And Jaua would serve the rest of Chavez’s six-year term if the socialism-preaching president were to die or resign.
Steve Ellner, a political science professor at Venezuela’s University of the East, thinks the future of Chavez’s political movement would largely depend on whether ill health prevented Chavez from designating a successor.
“There is no second-in-command in the Chavez movement,” Ellner said. “If Chavez is unable to endorse anyone, there will inevitably be dissension.” The Associated Press
