Hugo Chavez’s supporters  on Thursday morning swore allegiance  to his leadership despite the missed inauguration,CNN Reports

With the slogan ‘Yo Soy Chavez’, meaning ‘I Am Chavez’, crowds of supporters swore an oath of loyalty to Venezuela’s president, who missed his inauguration due to ill health.

Vice President Nicolas Maduro called on the masses gathered to take an oath of “absolute loyalty to the leadership of Comandante Hugo Chavez.”

“I swear by the Bolivarian constitution that I will defend the presidency of Comandante Chavez in the street with reason, with truth and with the strength and intelligence of a people who have been liberated from the yoke of the bourgeoisie,” Maduro said.

The crowd repeated his words, holding thousands of tiny copies of the constitution up in the air.They waved  flags and carried photos of the their sick leader.

Hugo Chavez Supporters at a rally on Thursday

Today’s event comes  as authorities continue to reassure Venezuelans that Chavez’s government remains unified and intact just days after announcing that Chavez wasn’t well enough to be sworn in on Thursday, specified by the constitution as inauguration day.

The country’s Supreme Court on Wednesday handed a victory to Chavez’s party, which had argued that the president did not need to be present at his swearing-in for his next term to begin.

By UP