Venezuela

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Opposition presidential candidate Henrique Capriles greets vacationing residents during a rally at Morrocoy Keys a resort near Chichiriviche, Venezuela, on Good Friday, March 29, 2013. (Associated Press)

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Victoria Cabrera, center, smiles with Washington Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos, right, and her younger brother, Enrique Jose, after throwing out the first pitch for the Tigres de Aragua on Monday in Venezuela. (Photo courtesy of Marfa Mata)

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Voters look for their polling station in Caracas, Venezuela, on Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012, as Venezuelans choose governors and state lawmakers in elections that have become a key test of whether President Hugo Chavez's movement can endure if the leader leaves the political stage. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

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Supporters of opposition presidential candidate Henrique Capriles wait for election results at the campaign headquarters in Caracas, Venezuela, on Sunday, Oct. 7, 2012. Venezuela's electoral council said President Hugo Chavez had won re-election, defeating Mr. Capriles. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

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Supporters of opposition presidential candidate Henrique Capriles react while hearing official results in Caracas, Venezuela, on Sunday, Oct. 7, 2012. Venezuela's electoral council said late Sunday that President Hugo Chavez had won re-election, defeating challenger Henrique Capriles. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

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Opposition presidential candidate Henrique Capriles is greeted by supporters after he conceded defeat in the presidential elections at his campaign headquarters in Caracas, Venezuela, on Sunday, Oct. 7, 2012. Venezuela's electoral council said late Sunday that President Hugo Chavez had won re-election over Mr. Capriles. (AP Photo/Sharon Steinmann)

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Supporters of President Hugo Chavez celebrate outside the Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela, on Sunday, Oct. 7, 2012. Venezuela's electoral council said late Sunday that Mr. Chavez had won re-election, defeating challenger Henrique Capriles. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

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Supporters of President Hugo Chavez run toward the Miraflores Palace as they celebrate in Caracas, Venezuela, on Sunday, Oct. 7, 2012. Venezuela's electoral council said late Sunday that President Hugo Chavez had won re-election, defeating challenger Henrique Capriles. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

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A supporter of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez carries a painting of independence hero Simon Bolivar outside the Miraflores Palace as they celebrate in Caracas, Venezuela, on Sunday, Oct. 7, 2012. Venezuela's electoral council said late Sunday that President Hugo Chavez had won re-election, defeating challenger Henrique Capriles. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

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Firefighters and rescue teams work at the Amuay oil refinery after an explosion in Punto Fijo, Venezuela, Saturday, Aug. 25, 2012. (AP Photo/Diario EL Amanecer)

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Opposition candidate Henrique Capriles waves during a ceremony to register his candidacy for the Venezuelan presidency in Caracas, Venezuela, on Sunday, June 10, 2012. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

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A supporter of Mr. Chavez tears up during his caravan's procession to the airport in Caracas, Venezuela, for his flight to Cuba for cancer surgery on Feb. 24. (Associated Press)

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Mr. Chavez was accompanied by his mother, Elena Frias de Chavez, to a Mass in Barinas, Venezuela, on April 5 after a new round of cancer treatment. "Give me your cross, 100 crosses. I'll carry it, but give me life because there are still things left for me to do for these people and for this homeland. Don't take me away yet," he prayed.

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Venezuela's Aban Pearl drilling rig sank in May 2010 in a significant blow to the nation's oil industry. China has poured billions of dollars into Venezuela's oil sector but has received little for its investments. "The Chinese have not gotten the kind of preferential access they want" to Venezuela's Orinoco Tar Sands, oil analyst Tom O'Donnell said. (Associated Press)

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"There is a vigorous opposition in Venezuela, but the choice is really for the people of Venezuela. It is not a choice for us to make as to where their country will go." - Wendy Sherman, State Department Undersecretary