The death of Hugo Chávez leaves the future of Venezuela in the balance. With elections set for early April, the question of who will replace him takes on new urgency. Here we survey the runners and riders, from the obvious choices within Chávez's PSUV and the opposition MUD to outliers on both sides.
Lenin has suffered considerably down the years. An ear fell off some time ago and had to be re-attached. Kenyatta had to be embalmed and, how shall I put it - 'stuffed' during the night hours so that the crowds could file past during the day. As the Venezuelans commit to embalming Hugo Chavez, they should perhaps take note of what has happened to these once great men. Stuffing a president doesn't do him any good in the long run. A glass case in a military building on public display may not prove the kindest ending for Hugo.
You would nearly feel sorry for the Tories. Almost. In a parallel dimension maybe. But the point is, things are not going well for them. They came third in the Eastleigh by-election which, to use the technical term, is bloody awful. Worse yet, they finished behind their yoghurt eating liberal bedfellows, and the granny privatising xenophobes of UKIP.
Over the coming days and weeks, plenty will be said on Chavez. Some analysis will be fair and well researched; other accounts will pass through the distorting lens of Western interests. As the case of Suharto demonstrates, this lens can play optical tricks, indeed millions can be wiped from the record.
Vice President Nicolas Maduro announced on 5 March that the controversial figure and President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, is dead. Having battled with cancer since 2011, news of the death of the 58 year old will not have surprised many yet Chavez's sudden departure has led to questions of what will happen next.