If Hugo Chavez is in Cuba, who is in charge of Venezuela?

If Hugo Chavez is in Cuba, who is in charge of Venezuela?
By Sandra Hernandez
December 13, 2012, 8:06 a.m.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez made it through his fourth cancer
surgery late Tuesday, but he is not expected to return to power any time
soon. On Saturday, the ailing president announced in a nationally
televised speech that he was traveling to Cuba for further treatment,
and designated Vice President Nicolas Maduro as his successor if he were
unable to return to office.

Chavez's choice to replace him isn't that surprising. After all, Article
233 of the Venezuelan Constitution established that the vice president
should take over if Chavez is unable to fulfill his duties.

Maduro, who served as the country's foreign minister until recently, is
credited with helping improve relations between Venezuela and Colombia.
And although he is considered a leftist, he is said to be a less
polarizing figure than Chavez. His working-class roots appeal to many of
Chavez's supporters. A former bus driver, Maduro went on to become a
successful union organizer before joining the government.

The problem is that although Chavez has tapped Maduro to be his
successor in the long run, it's unclear who will take over in the short
term. If the president, who was recently reelected, steps down before
his term is officially over, Maduro would take over. But if Chavez
remains in power but can't be sworn in on Jan. 10, Maduro would not
automatically take over. Instead, Diosdado Cabello, a Chavez ally and
president of the National Assembly, would assume power and he would call
a special election for as early as February.

Either way, it appears as though Venezuelans could be headed to the
polls for the third time in less than a year. Regional and local
elections are scheduled for Sunday. Chavez was reelected in October in a
bruising fight against opposition candidate Henrique Capriles, who is
now running for governor in the state of Miranda, which includes the
capital city of Caracas.

Capriles is considered a likely candidate to run against Maduro if
special elections are called.

One thing is clear, whether Chavez returns to power or not. He has
forever changed his country. Venezuela's old political parties, which
were considered corrupt, have largely disappeared from the political
landscape. And the next generation of Chavez opponents, including
Capriles, while campaigning against the president, have promised to
maintain some of the government's programs for the poor.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-venezuela-hugo-chavez-nicolas-maduro-20121212,0,4546794.story