Millions of Venezuelans, high-ranking politicians and allies of late president Hugo Chavez are expected to mourn the divisive leader at this weekend's funeral, after which his body will be permanently displayed at a Caracas museum.
Chavez's body will lie in state for at least seven more days, before being embalmed and permanently displayed at the Museum of the Revolution, Venezuela's interim president, Nicolas Maduro, announced Thursday. Chavez will join leaders such as China's Mao Zedong and Russia's Vladimir Lenin, who are also on permanent display in their home countries.
The opposition has called the plan a political ploy by Chavez's supporters to win votes in the upcoming presidential election brought on by the president's death.
Chavez's body has been lying in state since soon after he died from an apparent heart attack Tuesday. Thousands of Venezuelans have been lining up, waiting hours for a chance to file by their former leader's coffin and pay their respects, said CBC's Tom Parry from Caracas.
"We are tired here, but, we want to see Chavez," one person in the queue told him.
The waiting mourners would burst into cheers whenever a high-ranking politician or member of Chavez's family came to pay their respects.
The government says the long lineups have played a part in its decision to permanently display Chavez's body.
[h=3]Allies flock to Caracas[/h]Some confusion remained Friday about the date and time of Chavez's funeral. It was first announced the ceremony would take place Friday around 11 a.m. local time. However, local reports suggest the event has been moved to Saturday.
It is also unclear where it would take place and when Chavez's body would be moved from the military academy.
Thirty-three heads of government are expected at the funeral, many from Central and South American countries. Chavez allies Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko will also attend.
The presidents of Argentina, Uruguay and Bolivia were some of the first to arrive, joining local mourners on Wednesday as Chavez's body was moved from the hospital where he died to the military museum in a lengthy street procession.
Canada will be represented by Bob Dechert, the parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Canadian ambassador to Venezuela.
Venezuelans have criticized Prime Minister Stephen Harper for his response to Chavez's death, which the local government called insensitive. Harper issued a statement offering his condolences to Venezuelans, but not Chavez's family.
"At this key juncture, I hope the people of Venezuela can now build for themselves a better, brighter future based on the principles of freedom, democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights," Harper's statement said.
A two-person delegation will represent the United States — a nation whose leadership was frequently criticized by Chavez, who called former president George W. Bush the devil and U.S. President Barack Obama a clown. Congressman Gregory Meeks from New York and former representative William Delahunt from Massachusetts will attend the funeral.
[h=3]Future unclear[/h]The reigning government has remained silent on Venezuela's political future.
Maduro, Chavez's vice-president, was named interim president — contrary to Venezuela's constitution. It calls for the speaker of the National Assembly, currently Diosdado Cabello, to assume the position if a president cannot be sworn in.
The constitution also calls for an election to be announced within 30 days of Chavez's death, but it is still unclear when Venezuelans will be able to vote for their next president.
Maduro, named by Chavez as his successor, is expected to run for the reigning socialist party with Henrique Capriles as his challenger. Capriles lost to Chavez in Venezuela's last presidential election.
With files from Tom Parry, The Associated Press, The Canadian Press
