Colombia says Chavez will head home early next week

[ocpagu]

2. I really hope he is in good health and makes a full recovery.

Chávez is to be commended for creating an influent movement which has made unprecedented social advances in Venezuela and the region and building a new Latin Amerian solidarity acting together in search of prosperity, independece and social justice. But in my opinion he also committed a mistake: he personified this movement.

By holding the illusion that he is irreplaceable he's hurting himself, his movement (which spreads out of his country) and jeopardizing everything he has built. His movement depends on votes to continue and most of these votes don't come from chavistas, but from sympathizers of his government's advances. These sympathizers may not have confidence to vote for him, concerning his health, but probably would be willing to vote for someone appointed by him.

Chávez needs to create a successor, or a group of possible successors, and present his country's achievements as a collective victory. He is not immortal and his movement is too important to depend solely on him.