"Now, as Chavez lies dying, men who call themselves chavistas convey his purported wishes to his citizens. In the past months, Venezuelans have had little reliable information about his intentions or the true state of his health , and therefore little say in their own future. For them, Chavez's death represents the end of a long and enthralling performance. They gave him power, in one election after another: they are the victims of their affection for a charismatic man, whom they allowed to become the central character of the Venezuelan stage , at the expense of everything else. After nearly a generation, Chavez leaves his countrymen with many unanswered questions and only one certainty: the revolution that he tried to bring about never really took place. It began with Chavez, and with him, most likely, it will end."
~Jon Lee Anderson for The New Yorker
