Weeping and shouting, a sea of Hugo Chavez's supporters paraded his coffin through the streets of Caracas yesterday in an emotional outpouring that could help his deputy win an election and keep his self-styled socialist revolution alive.

Hundreds of thousands of "Chavistas" marched behind a hearse carrying the remains of the flamboyant and outspoken president, draped in Venezuela's blue, red and yellow national flag.

Ending one of Latin America's most remarkable populist rules, Chavez died on Tuesday at age 58 after a two-year battle with cancer that was first detected in his pelvis.

The future of Chavez's socialist policies, which won him the adoration of poor Venezuelans but infuriated opponents who denounced him as a dictator, now rests on the shoulders of Vice President Nicolas Maduro, the man he tapped to succeed him.

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