Chavez’s illness puts focus on successor

SPECULATION that Hugo Chavez could be suffering from a serious illness is putting attention on a predicament for the president’s allies: It’s unclear who could step forward if he had to step down.

Few Venezuelans are talking publicly about the possibility of Chavez leaving office, partly because top government officials and close relatives have repeatedly said the president is recuperating in Cuba following surgery there two weeks ago.

Still, Chavez’s silence and seclusion since the operation have spurred growing talk about his health, stirring fears among some supporters that their leader could be seriously ill.