"Take my life, Lord, but
don't take that of the president!" wailed an older woman who was among a
group of mourners in Bolivar Square in Sabaneta in Barinas State,
Chavez's birthplace in the country's northwest. "Without him, we are
left with nothing. He's the only president who has helped us."
"I'm the beneficiary of
education, I'm the beneficiary of an honorable, beautiful house, I'm the
beneficiary of an honorable job," said a woman in her 20s. "President,
wherever you are, we are going to miss you forever."
"I hope we will continue
down the path that he showed us," said one man. "Let's continue with
socialism, because that is the only path. Commandant Chavez lives
and
will live in our hearts."
Thousands of Venezuelans
lined the streets of the capital, Caracas, Wednesday morning as Chavez's
remains were taken from the military hospital where he died to the
Fuerte Tiuna Military Academy.
Soldiers held Chavez's
simple wooden casket, which was draped with the national flag, as a
priest recited a prayer and blessing over it. The casket was placed atop
a hearse, which was festooned with flowers and wreaths and driven
slowly toward the military academy.
The streets transformed into a sea of green and red, as soldiers and red-clad supporters followed the procession.
Some wept as the casket passed in front of them, while others stretched out their arms to take pictures with their phones.
"Chavez to the pantheon!
Chavez to the pantheon!" the crowd chanted, referring to the country's
National Pantheon, which houses the remains of Chavez's hero, South
American liberator Simon Bolivar, and other Venezuelan luminaries.
The body's arrival at
the academy, where it is to lie in state until Friday morning's state
funeral, was broadcast live on state television.
A number of presidents
-- including Uruguay's Jose Mujica, Argentina's Cristina Fernandez de
Kirchner and Bolivia's Evo Morales -- have already arrived in the
country for the funeral.
The country has declared
seven days of mourning, closed schools for the rest of the week and
deployed armed forces to "guarantee peace."
For its part,
Venezuela's Interior Ministry sought to guarantee sobriety. It said in a
statement that it had banned the sale, distribution and consumption of
alcohol through March 12 "to guarantee the physical integrity of
individuals with the intention to maintain internal order and normal
development of the country's actions."
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