Venezuela's acting leader Nicolas Maduro has announced that the late President Hugo Chavez will be embalmed and his body displayed forever in a Caracas military museum.
Mr. Maduro compared the late president to other revolutionary leaders whose bodies also have been preserved. He said President Chavez will lie in state for seven more days to give more Venezuelans the chance to pay their respect.
President Chavez will be honored at a state funeral Friday, attended by 30 heads of state. The United States is sending a diplomatic delegation.
Thousands of grieving Venezuelans waited for as long as 10 hours to look at Mr. Chavez's body in Caracas.
President Chavez died Tuesday after a two-year fight against cancer. He was 58 years old.