Rumors are swirling about Hugo Chavez's health. Should he die, Boris Muñoz wonders about Venezuela's future:
The struggle for a successor is in full swing. Maduro and Cabello, Chávez’s two potential heirs, represent two opposing strands of chavismo, his brand of left-wing nationalism. For fourteen years, since he came to power in 1998, Chávez has been the alpha and omega of his “Bolivarian revolution.” He has dealt with Venezuela as if it were a corporation and he himself its absolutist C.E.O., obsessed with micromanagement, relying on a few advisors to hold the country under tight control. That time is nearing an end. Deep fissures are already present. Chavismo is a political movement with marked divisions between its military and civilian wings. Chávez, a former Army paratrooper, has been a leader on both fronts, playing either military or civilian leader when convenient. But the civilian-military division reflects an even deeper one based on two differing conceptualizations of the Bolivarian revolution: a nationalist revolution or a socialist one based on the Cuban model.
(Photo: A mechanic shows a picture of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez at his workshop in Caracas, on January 2, 2013. Chavez is conscious and fully aware of how 'complex' his condition remains three weeks after difficult cancer surgery in Havana, the Venezuelan president's handpicked successor, Vice President Nicolas Maduro, said Tuesday. Chavez underwent his fourth cancer-related surgery three weeks ago in Havana and has been bed-ridden ever since. By Leo Ramirez/AFP/Getty Images)
The Dish 
