Chavez to keep his presidency beyond Jan. 10

 CARACAS, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- The just re-elected president of the National Assembly of Venezuela, Diosdado Cabello, in his address after his confirmation¹, said Saturday that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez "will still be the President beyond January 10th", despite of his precarious² health.

Cabello, who was re-elected as President of the National Assembly thanks to the votes of his majority Socialist³ United Party of Venezuela (PSUV), said Chavez does not need to take another oath in front of the Parliament to become President, since he was re-elected.

In line with the Article 231 of the National Venezuelan Constitution, the president, elected by the popular vote of the Venezuelans, must be established in his post rendering⁴ an oath in front of the National Assembly on Jan. 10 on his first year on the job.

But since Chavez is ill and there are only five days for him to recover and take the oath anew, it seems practically impossible that Chavez returns on time to Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, from Cuba, where he is recovering after having a fourth cancer surgery.

Just on Jan. 3, the Venezuelan government revealed that the head of the State has a respiratory ailment⁵ due to a "severe" pulmonary infection, which means that Chavez needs a respirator to breathe.

The government has said that since Chavez was re-elected, and there are no changes to the man that will lead the nation, the oath ceremony becomes simply "a formalism".

"Commandant Chavez has a license⁶ that was conceded by the National Assembly so he could be out of the country and we are going to make it valid⁷", said Cabello.

The National Assembly granted Chavez on Dec. 9 an indefinite license to be absent so he could go to Cuba to have his fourth cancer surgery, and to have the time that his doctors deemed to be necessary for his recovery.

1 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

2 precarious   

adj.不安定的，靠不住的；根据不足的

参考例句：

• Our financial situation had become precarious.我们的财务状况已变得不稳定了。
• He earned a precarious living as an artist.作为一个艺术家，他过得是朝不保夕的生活。

3 socialist   

n.社会主义者；adj.社会主义的

参考例句：

• China is a socialist country,and a developing country as well.中国是一个社会主义国家，也是一个发展中国家。
• His father was an ardent socialist.他父亲是一个热情的社会主义者。

4 rendering   

n.表现，描写

参考例句：

• She gave a splendid rendering of Beethoven's piano sonata.她精彩地演奏了贝多芬的钢琴奏鸣曲。
• His narrative is a super rendering of dialect speech and idiom.他的叙述是方言和土语最成功的运用。

5 ailment   

n.疾病，小病

参考例句：

• I don't have even the slightest ailment.我什么毛病也没有。
• He got timely treatment for his ailment.他的病得到了及时治疗。

6 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

7 valid   

adj.有确实根据的；有效的；正当的，合法的

参考例句：

• His claim to own the house is valid.他主张对此屋的所有权有效。
• Do you have valid reasons for your absence?你的缺席有正当理由吗？