海角大神

A long list of foreign dignitaries paid an emotional farewell to Hugo Ch谩vez today in a state funeral that displayed the president鈥檚 world reach as well as his following among ordinary Venezuelans.

More than 55 leaders from around the world took turns standing before the flag-draped coffin. Outside, thousands of Venezuelans gathered, waiting in line for hours to enter the white military academy where Ch谩vez's body will lie in state for the next week.聽

鈥淚t was emblematic鈥� of the way Ch谩vez led, says Eloy Torres Rom谩n, formerly a top diplomat in Ch谩vez's socialist party and currently a professor at Santa Mar铆a University in Caracas. 鈥淚t was over the top 鈥� but you saw how many people he reached. Even Sean Penn was there.鈥�

Before the somber ceremony began, politics threatened to steal the spotlight, a reminder that 聽Venezuela鈥檚 future was cast into uncertainty when its charismatic but controversial president died.

This morning, the Venezuelan high court ruled that Vice President Nicolas Maduro can be sworn in this evening as interim president and run for president in the upcoming election. That ruling came despite a Constitution that says the National Assembly speaker should take the role of interim president.

Leading opposition figure Henrique Capriles, who is likely to run against Mr. Maduro, called the ruling 鈥渇raud鈥� on his Twitter account. The election should be held within 30 days, according to the Constitution, although no date has been set.

Anti-imperialist firebrand

Ch谩vez, who died Tuesday at the age of 58, cultivated his image throughout Latin America and around the world by serving as an anti-imperialist 鈥� often anti-US 鈥� firebrand while doling out subsidized petroleum.

His rhetoric and oil aid won him friends in countries often at odds with the United States. Presidents Raul Castro of Cuba, Rafael Correa of Ecuador, Evo Morales of Bolivia, and Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua attended the funeral.

The Obama administration also sent a delegation, former Congressman William Delahunt of Massachusetts and Rep. Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY). The decision drew criticism from Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R) of Florida 鈥� who called it 鈥渨eak and irresponsible鈥� in a statement -- proving that even in death, Ch谩vez continues to push buttons in the US.

In the ceremony, which was broadcast by state television, and on the streets, the oft-heard cry was that Ch谩vez鈥檚 socialist-inspired revolution would live on.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not about one man. It鈥檚 a movement and it will continue,鈥� says Yubelky Gonzalez, a housewife who joined the line in front of the military academy at 3 a.m.聽

Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told state TV after the service, 鈥淐h谩vez is not a person ... it鈥檚 a path to save humanity.鈥�

The Chavismo narrative

Ch谩vez's approach, known as Chavismo, has often drawn comparisons to other political ideologies such as Argentina鈥檚 Peronism, inspired by former President Juan Domingo Per贸n, who died in 1974.

鈥淔or a number of years I鈥檝e been struck by Chavismo as being the closest thing to Peronism that Latin America has seen in decades,鈥� says Eric Hershberg, director of the Center of Latin American Studies at American University in Washington, D.C.

Ch谩vez admired Peron鈥檚 example. He described himself as a 鈥渢rue Peronist鈥� during a 2008 visit to Argentina, linking himself to a聽political movement that stresses rejection of foreign powers in favor of economic and political independence. It was based originally on Peron's Justicialist Party, but political scientists say it is has taken on many faces in the decades since it began.聽

Today鈥檚 funeral drew comparisons to that of Peron鈥檚 late wife Eva Peron, who also died of cancer and was embalmed after her body lay in state for several days. Venezuelan officials plan the same for Ch谩vez's body.

But now that Ch谩vez has died, will Chavismo live on like Peronismo has?

Francisco Toro, co-author of 鈥淏logging the Revolution,鈥� says the question deserves a more nuanced answer.

The cult of personality that Ch谩vez fostered through his charismatic leadership will almost certainly go away, Toro writes in his blog. But Chavismo鈥檚 ability to manipulate the truth will live on.

鈥淚t鈥檚 Chavismo鈥檚 capacity to generate 鈥榯ruths鈥� divorced from any evidence and based exclusively on the regime鈥檚 narrative needs that鈥檚 likely to survive Ch谩vez鈥檚 passing,鈥� Toro writes. 鈥淚t is the aggressive, no-holds-barred perversion of the democratic public sphere that will be around for decades after Ch谩vez has gone.鈥�

Latin America, says Mr. Torres, is the land of 鈥渕agical realism, where realities can be suspended.鈥�

Since it became apparent that Ch谩vez was gravely ill, socialist party leaders began to focus less on him and more on the idea, says Mr. Hershberg.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not about the man, it鈥檚 about the imaginary,鈥� he says. 鈥淓ver since October, it has been much more about the imaging and the iconography. There has been a shift from 鈥� icon to now he鈥檚 a kind of patron saint.鈥�

In his emotional speech at the funeral today, Maduro said Ch谩vez prevailed against a campaign of 鈥渓ies. 鈥� Never has there been a leader in the history of our country more viciously attacked than President Ch谩vez.鈥�

The audience rose to its feet and applauded as Maduro concluded his speech. 鈥淐h谩vez lives, the fight continues!鈥� they shouted. 聽