NEWS

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez dead at 58

Staff Writer

Galesburg Register-Mail

A supporter of Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez poses for a portrait as he holds a photograph of Chavez outside the National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 5, 2013. Just five days remain until Chavez's scheduled inauguration on Thursday, and government officials are suggesting the swearing-in could be delayed as the president fights a severe respiratory infection after cancer surgery in Cuba. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

President Hugo Chavez was a fighter. The former paratroop commander and fiery populist waged continual battle for his socialist ideals and outsmarted his rivals time and again, defeating a coup attempt, winning re-election three times and using his country's vast oil wealth to his political advantage.