SUPPORTERS of the late leftist president Hugo Chavez of Venezuela paid tribute to him and his legacy yesterday on the 10th anniversary of his death.

Thousands of people packed an old military barracks housing the remains of the iconic socialist leader.

“He was the best, a commander, a chief, a wonderful leader with his people. He taught us a lot. He left us so many things that 10, 20 years can go by and you still feel it,” Luisa Adrian, 56, told AFP. 

“You have to transmit the legacy to the new generations. That’s why I’m here with my two-and-a half-year-old grandson,” she said.

Chavez ruled Venezuela from 1999 until his death from cancer in 2013. He hand-picked his successor, Nicolas Maduro. The former bus driver took power three days after Chavez’s death was announced, and was then elected on April 14 of that year. 

In 2018 Maduro was re-elected amid accusations of voting fraud.

Some of those on hand yesterday said, like Chavez, Maduro has ruled under fire from critics at home and abroad including the United States.

“He has continued there at the forefront despite all the adversities,” said Rosaris Izturiz, 43, a worker at state-owned Hidrocapital.

The United States said it views Maduro as illegitimate.

More than seven million people have fled Venezuela and its crumbling economy since Maduro come to power. – AFP, March 6, 2023.