CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelans will vote April 14 to choose a successor to Hugo Chavez, the elections commission announced today as increasingly strident political rhetoric begins to roil this polarized country.
The constitution mandated the election be held within 30 days of Chavez’s March 5 death, but the date picked falls outside that period. Critics of the socialist government already complained that officials violated the constitution by swearing in Vice President Nicolas Maduro as acting leader Friday night.
Some people have speculated Venezuela will not be ready to organize the vote in time, but elections council chief Tibisay Lucena said the country’s electronic voting system was fully prepared.
Tibisay announced the date on state television, appearing in a small inset as the main picture showed people filing past Chavez’s coffin at the military academy in Caracas, where his body has lain in state since Wednesday.
