You didn’t think Hugo Chávez would relinquish power just because he’s dead, did you? The Venezuelan Constitution declares that, in case of the president’s inability to be sworn in, the speaker of the National Assembly should serve in his place in the interim. But Chávez was never one to play by the rules, and the longtime Venezuelan president made sure to name his own successor. As Chávez wished, Vice President Nicolas Maduro—not National Assembly Speaker Diosdado Cabello, will act as interim president for up to 30 days, until the nation calls a formal election. Venezuela is expected to go all out in memorializing Chávez: schools across the country have been closed for the week, and seven official days of mourning were declared.
