Venezuela's president Hugo Chavez is suffering new complications after cancer surgery, prompting growing speculation about whether he has much longer to live.
Vice president Nicolas Maduro looked weary and spoke with a solemn expression as he announced in a televised address from Havana on Sunday that Mr Chavez now has a respiratory infection nearly three weeks after his operation. He described his condition as delicate.
The streets of Caracas were abuzz with talk of Mr Chavez's increasingly tough fight, while the news topped the front pages of the country's newspapers.
"He's history now," said Cesar Amaro, a street vendor selling newspapers and snacks at a kiosk in Caracas. He motioned to a newspaper showing side-by-side photos of Mr Maduro and National Assembly president Diosdado Cabello, and said politics will now turn to them.
He expected a new election soon to replace Mr Chavez. "For an illness like the one the president has, his days are numbered now," he said.
A government-organised New Year's Eve concert had been planned in a Caracas plaza featuring popular Venezuelan bands, but was cancelled due to Mr Chavez's condition. Information minister Ernesto Villegas urged...
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