Nicolas Maduro has been sworn in as Venezuela’s acting president, despite the objections of the opposition who said the move violated the country’s constitution.

Venezuela’s government has revealed for the first time that President Hugo Chavez has been receiving chemotherapy as he “continues his battle for life”.

Venezuelan politicians voted to postpone the inauguration of ailing President Hugo Chavez for his new term, prompting complaints from opponents who called it a violation of the constitution.

President Hugo Chavez won re-election and a new endorsement of his socialist project, surviving his closest race yet after a bitter campaign in which the opposition accused him of unfairly using Venezuela’s oil wealth and his near total control of state institutions to his advantage.

Venezuela’s biggest oil refinery remained offline today after firefighters extinguished a blaze that raged for more than three days following an explosion that killed at least 41 people.

An intense fire at a Venezuelan refinery spread to a third fuel tank nearly three days after an explosion killed at least 41 people and injured more than 150.

Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez has a double-digit lead over the opposition's presidential hopeful - but a quarter of voters have not committed to either candidate, according to a poll.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez held an energetic homecoming celebration today, rallying thousands of supporters from a balcony of the presidential palace after nearly three weeks in Cuba for cancer surgery.

Venezuelans yesterday voted in the country’s first-ever opposition presidential primary, choosing a single challenger they hope will have what it takes to defeat President Hugo Chavez after 13 years in office.

Opposition politician Leopoldo Lopez bowed out of Venezuela’s presidential race, saying he will support his leading rival as the opposition seeks to field a single candidate to challenge President Hugo Chavez.

More than 100,000 people flooded the streets of Caracas yesterday to oppose a referendum that would eliminate term limits for President Hugo Chavez and help him establish a socialist state in Venezuela.