Venezuela’s Vice-President said on Friday that President Hugo Chavez
could be sworn in by the Supreme Court later on if he’s not able to take
the oath of office next week before legislators because of his struggle
with cancer.
Vice-President Nicolas Maduro made the comment in a televised interview
on Friday night, dismissing the argument by some opposition leaders that
new elections must be called if Mr. Chavez doesn’t take office as
scheduled on Thursday. His stance appeared likely to generate friction
between the government and opposition over the legality of putting off
the swearing-in, which the Constitution says should occur on Thursday
before the National Assembly.
Mr. Maduro says Mr. Chavez, as a re-elected President, remains in office
beyond the inauguration date stipulated in the Constitution, and could
be sworn in if necessary before the Supreme Court at a date to be
determined.
“The formality of his swearing-in can be resolved before the Supreme
Court of Justice, at the time (the court) deems in coordination with the
Head of State, Commander Hugo Chavez,” Mr. Maduro said.
As for the opposition, Mr. Maduro said, “they should respect our
Constitution.” The Vice-President held up a small copy of the
Constitution and read aloud passages relating to such procedures.
Opposition leaders have demanded that the government provide more
specific information about Mr. Chavez’s condition, and say that if the
President doesn’t return to Venezuela by inauguration day, the president
of the National Assembly should take over the presidency on an interim
basis. But Mr. Maduro echoed other Chavez allies in suggesting the
inauguration date is not a hard deadline, and that the President should
be given more time to recover from his cancer surgery if needed.
“Maduro’s comments are not surprising. The government holds all the
cards in the current situation, particularly given the compassion for
Chavez’s serious illness. It has interpreted the Constitution loosely,
to its own political advantage,” said Michael Shifter, president of the
Inter-American Dialogue think tank in Washington. “In this way Maduro is
able to buy some time, assert his authority, and rally support within
Chavismo. He puts the opposition on notice and throws it off balance.”
As for Mr. Chavez, Mr. Maduro reiterated that the President is fighting a
“complex” health battle but expressed hope that eventually “we’ll see
him and we’ll hear him.”
“He has a right to rest and tranquillity, and to recuperate,” Mr. Maduro
said on state television, speaking with Information Minister Ernesto
Villegas.
The Venezuelan Constitution says the presidential oath should be taken
on January 10 before the National Assembly. It also says that if the
President is unable to be sworn in before the National Assembly, he may
take the oath office before the Supreme Court, and some legal experts
have noted that the sentence mentioning the court does not mention a
date.
The Constitution says that if a president-elect dies or is declared
unable to continue in office, presidential powers should be held
temporarily by the president of the National Assembly and a new election
should be held within 30 days.
Venezuelan legislators will meet on Saturday in a session that could
shed light on what steps may be taken if Mr. Chavez is too sick to be
sworn in for a new term next week.
Legislators will choose a President, two Vice-Presidents and other
leaders of the National Assembly, which is controlled by a pro-Chavez
majority. Whoever is elected National Assembly president could
eventually end up being the interim president of Venezuela under some
circumstances.
Brewing disagreements over how to handle a possible transition of power
could be aired at the session, coming just five days before the
scheduled inauguration day specified in the Constitution.
The government revealed this week that Mr. Chavez is fighting a severe
lung infection and receiving treatment for “respiratory deficiency” more
than three weeks after undergoing cancer surgery in Cuba. The
announcement suggests a deepening crisis for the 58-year-old president
and has fed speculation that he likely is not well enough to travel to
Caracas for the inauguration.
AP
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