Thousands march in show of support for Chavez

[Judi Lynn]

Thousands march in show of support for Chavez
By PATRICIA RONDON ESPIN - Associated Press | AP – 10 mins ago

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — A march by thousands of Venezuelans for the country's bicentennial celebrations became a show of support for ailing President Hugo Chavez on Sunday while he remained in Cuba recovering from surgery that removed a cancerous tumor.

The president's red-clad supporters waved flags, beat drums and chanted "Long live Chavez!" They also displayed signs reading "Get well soon, commander" and "Venezuela is with you."

A message on Chavez's Twitter account said he was doing his "daily exercises and receiving that bath of love" from the demonstrators in Caracas.

"It's the best medicine!" he said in the message.

More:
http://news.yahoo.com/thousands-march-show-support-chavez-163449928.html

[Judi Lynn]

1. Chavez supporters rally and pray for "comandante"

Chavez supporters rally and pray for "comandante"
By Andrew Cawthorne and Girish Gupta | Reuters – 2 hrs 13 mins ago

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's supporters rallied and prayed on Sunday for the speedy recovery of a man whose cancer has rattled the country he has dominated for more than a decade.

In bread shops and bars, streets and homes across the volatile South American OPEC member, there is only one topic of gossip and debate: just how bad is Chavez's health?

On a day usually revolving round Chavez's weekly "Alo Presidente" TV show -- hours-long folksy soliloquies to tell stories, sing songs, nationalize companies or bait foes -- loyalists instead held a Catholic mass and march for their man.

Dozens chanted "We love Chavez!" at a service in the capital's largest slum, Petare. At a downtown square, thousands of red-shirted supporters danced, sang, waved flags and held puppets of Chavez aloft in a lively show of support.

More:
http://news.yahoo.com/chavez-supporters-rally-pray-comandante-153059453.html