Hundreds pray for Hugo Chavez’s good health in Venezuela

Caracas: Hundreds of Venezuelans have held a candlelight vigil for President Hugo Chavez, praying for their leader.
A group of indigenous people wearing colorful dresses, beads and feathers danced around a bonfire at the base of the stairs. One man blew on a conch shell, while others shook maracas as they danced around the flames. Chavez hasn’t been seen since he returned to Venezuela on Monday from Cuba, where for 10 weeks he was recovering and fighting complications following his latest cancer surgery December 11.
Vice President Nicolas Maduro said yesterday night that he and other officials had met with Chavez at the military hospital. Maduro said Chavez is continuing to undergo treatment for “respiratory insufficiency” and is breathing through a tracheal tube, which hinders speech.
“He communicated with us through various written ways to give us his guidance,” Maduro said, speaking on television alongside other aides at the hospital. Maduro said Chavez was smiling and in an energetic mood, “with an immense strength of will.” He said they talked with Chavez in three sessions lasting about five hours. “We came out filled with his strength,” Maduro said.
During the vigil, some in the crowd held photos of Chavez while a preacher spoke from a stage, saying: “The President is going to be healthy!” Venezuela’s opposition has demanded the government provide more specific information about Chavez’s condition.