Venezuela's Hugo Chavez lies in State

(Vatican Radio) Hundreds of thousands of Venzuelans have been saying a final goodbye to President Hugo Chavez.
Chavez died on March 6 aged 58 after suffering from cancer for nearly two years.
Hundreds of thousands of people earlier took to the streets of the capital to pay tribute as a hearse carrying his coffin took hours to reach the academy.
Listen to the report by our regional correspondent James Blears...

Nothing like this has been seen in Venezuela before. Countless thousands lined the streets to pay their respects to the man who enjoyed being called El Comandante but was blessed with the common touch, which reached the poor.
It took hours for the procession to reach the Military Academy in Caracas. The body of Hugo Chavez will lie there in state until tomorrow when there will be a State Funeral.
Friends and also allies, the Presidents of Argentina, Bolivia and Uruguay are at hand to pay their respects.
The impression Hugo Chavez has left, the void his has left are enormous. The political system is now facing a huge challenge and the next logial step is a Presidential Election. Whether Chavism will outlive him, is now up to the people.