An Uncertain Venezuela Prepares for an End to Chavez's Rule

More than three weeks after a complicated surgery, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has yet to reappear in public, and the odds are growing that the country will soon undergo a possibly tumultuous transition. Chavez's condition has substantially worsened, according to reports from Spanish newspaper ABC.

Vice President Nicolas Maduro was among officials urging the country to remain calm and disregard these reports. During a televised interview from Cuba on the evening of Jan. 1, Maduro said Chavez is in a delicate situation but getting stronger. Still, Chavez's incapacitation just months after his election to a third term in office leaves the country in a state of limbo.