Brazil endorses "sensible" extension for Chávez's swearing-in ceremony

Brazil regards as constitutional the extension of the period to swear-in Hugo Chávez as president for a new term in office, said Brazilian President's Foreign Affairs Advisor Marco Aurelio Garcia. Chávez, whose inauguration as president is scheduled for January 10, is currently in Cuba recovering from a cancer surgery.

In a statement issued late on Monday, Garcia described such extension as a "sensible period of time" provided for under the Venezuelan Constitution. Such period would be valid until Chávez's inability to take office is determined, in which case a new election should be held.

The current situation of Venezuela can be solved through "constitutional means," Garcia stated during his first statements to the press after returning from Cuba, where he held a meeting with Venezuelan Vice-President Nicolás Maduro, Cuban President Raúl Castro, and his brother Fidel Castro.

Translated by Jhean Cabrera