Hugo Chavez's silence spoke loudest of all

Caracas: President Hugo Chavez is famous for speeches that last for hours, and Thursday should have been a special day for the loquacious socialist to let loose. But even with a parade of foreign dignitaries in town to laud him and a large, boisterous crowd on the day he was to be sworn in for a triumphal new term, Mr. Chavez's silence spoke loudest of all.

The country had been warned in advance that Mr. Chavez was too sick to slip on the presidential sash and raise his hand to take the presidential oath. He remained in Cuba, where government officials said he was going through a delicate recuperation from surgery on Dec. 11 for cancer.

But in a telling sign of the severity of his illness, Mr. Chavez apparently sent no greeting to the crowds wishing him well. There was no message from him read to the tens of thousands of followers who attended the rally in front of the presidential palace. There was no video or recording from the once-omnipresent president, who has not been seen or heard from directly in a month.

There was not even any mention that Mr. Chavez might be watching the televised broadcast of the huge get-well rally held in his honor.

Nonetheless, Vice President Nicolas Maduro urged the multitude "to send a shout of gigantic love on the count of three to our Commander Chavez." Then he led them in doing the wave and finally held up a pocket-size copy of the Venezuelan Constitution, saying it was time to recite an oath of "absolute loyalty" to Mr. Chavez and his socialist revolution.

Thousands of people in the crowd raised their hands and repeated in unison, "I swear by the Bolivarian Constitution that I will defend the presidency of Commander Chavez in the streets, with reason, with truth and with the strength and intelligence of a people that has liberated itself from the yoke of the bourgeoisie."

Mr. Chavez's silence, and the sudden reticence of government officials about him, were glaring because in past trips to Cuba for treatment Mr. Chavez has taken pains to stay in the spotlight, appearing in photos or videos, calling in to programs on government-run television or posting on Twitter.

Moreover, Mr. Chavez, who has been president for 14 years, had fought particularly long and hard to reach this day. He had overcome great opposition to change the Constitution to allow him to run an unlimited number of times - losing a referendum on constitutional changes in 2007 before bringing the issue to a second vote, which passed in 2009.

Last year, in the midst of his struggle with cancer, he campaigned against the strongest opposition he has faced since first being elected in 1998, and he won, in October, by 11 percentage points. He vowed to use his new six-year term, which would extend his time in office to two full decades, to lead Venezuela further down the path of socialism.

But the inaugural event that had been meant to cement his permanence instead became an occasion that accentuated his absence.

Last month, Mr. Chavez went on television to announce that his cancer had returned and that he would have to go to Cuba for an operation, his fourth since June 2011. In a somber mood, he named Mr. Maduro as his political heir should he be unable to continue as president.

Since then his stentorian voice has gone silent.

Elias Pino Iturrieta, a historian, said that this was the first time in Venezuela that an elected president had missed his inauguration.

And yet Thursday's rally, on the day the Constitution sets as the start of the new presidential term, seemed more of a celebration, or a campaign event, than a sickroom vigil. People packed sunny blocks leading to the presidential palace. Sound trucks blared Mr. Chavez's campaign song, with the words "Chavez, heart of the people." A salsa band played. People danced. Air Force jets zoomed across the blue sky. Vendors sold revolutionary memorabilia: inflatable Chavez dolls, red caps, T-shirts with the slogan "I am Chavez."

"Today we are all Chavez, and today we are all going to take the oath as president, with our maximum leader," said Mercedes Paredes, 55, who wore a yellow, blue and red strip of paper - the colors of the national flag - across her shirt in the form of a sash.

Mr. Chavez's absence set off a standoff this month as the political opposition and government officials traded barbs over whether the Constitution required that a caretaker president be named. On Wednesday the Supreme Court ruled that Mr. Chavez could be sworn in at a later date - but set no time limit.

That was just fine with Ms. Paredes. "As long as it takes," she said.

The government has released few details about Mr. Chavez's condition - except to say that he is conscious and in touch with family and government officials - making it virtually impossible to ascertain his chances of recovery or how long his convalescence may take. The opposition has called for a team of medical experts to go to Havana to evaluate his condition.

Zenaida Hernandez, 45, said she did not think the government had an obligation to provide more information: "A human being has the right to privacy."

On the main stage, Mr. Maduro said he was evaluating "very forceful actions" against opposition governors who had criticized the government and the Supreme Court decision. Cabinet ministers and state governors in red shirts, and generals in olive green, were joined by visiting left-wing dignitaries, including Presidents Evo Morales of Bolivia, Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua and Jose Mujica of Uruguay.

Ivian Sarcos, a former Miss World, dressed all in white, waved to the crowd, where a person held a sign that said, "Chavez Christ I love you."

(Maria Eugenia Diaz contributed reporting.)