Courtesy of: El Universal

This week: A month after his death, Hugo Chávez continues to cast a shadow on the Venezuelan presidential election; amid personal attacks against opposition candidate Henrique Capriles, the official presidential campaign begins in Venezuela; Capriles leads a march with supporters in Caracas to kick off his presidential campaign; and Maduro steps up insults and slurs, this time calling the country’s opposition “heirs of Hitler.” Maduro bizarrely claims Chávez appeared to him in the form of a “little bird” and blessed him; Venezuela’s opposition warns that the military should not take sides in the upcoming election; Capriles points out the Venezuelan state media’s overwhelming bias toward Maduro; and Venezuela tries to weaken the influence of the respected Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Cuba throws its support behind Maduro in the Venezuelan elections, hoping his victory will allow them more control over the country and its resources; dollar scarcity and an inflation rate of 22 percent continue to take their toll on the Venezuelan people, as businesses in Venezuela foresee only tough times ahead;  a decade of currency controls leave Venezuelans desperate for money and vulnerable to fraudsters; and crop numbers in Venezuela show that 2012 production fell behind the already-low 2010 levels.

Chávez casts shadow on Venezuela poll, Financial Times

Last year, Henrique Capriles proved no match for the electoral juggernaut of Hugo Chávez, who won over a dozen nationwide polls in as many years.

Venezuela presidential race begins amid personal attacks and tension, The Miami Herald

Drugs, lies and murder plots. Venezuela’s compressed presidential campaign officially begins Tuesday in a race that will determine the future of the Andean nation after the death of President Hugo Chávez, who led the country for 14 years.

Venezuela Opposition Marches as Presidential Campaign Kicks Off, Bloomberg

Venezuela opposition leader Henrique Capriles Radonski led a march of supporters last night in Caracas to mark today’s formal start to the presidential campaign against Hugo Chavez’s hand-picked successor.

Maduro calls Venezuela opposition “heirs of Hitler”, Reuters

Venezuela’s acting President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday called the country’s opposition “heirs of Hitler,” accusing them of persecuting Cuban doctors working in the South American country the way Jews were persecuted in Nazi Germany.

Venezuela: Ruling Party Candidate Said ‘Little Bird’ Told Him He’ll Become President, Fox News Latino

A little birdie whistled in his ear that he’s ready to become the next president of Venezuela.

Venezuela Opposition: Military Can’t Take Sides, TIME

Venezuela’s presidential campaign on Wednesday veered between warnings of military meddling in the April 14 vote and opposition mirth at the acting president’s suggestion that the spirit of Hugo Chavez visited him as “a little bird” while he prayed.

Henrique Capriles accuses Venezuelan state media of bias in favouring political rival, The Independent

Henrique Capriles has hit out at the overwhelming bias of the Venezuelan state media, claiming that the VTV channel alone has given 46 hours and 43 minutes of coverage to Nicolas Maduro since the former bus driver became acting President after the death of Hugo Chavez on 8 March.

Venezuela Tries to Weaken Human Rights Watchdog, The Heritage Foundation

A group of populist Latin American states—led by Bolivia, Ecuador, and Venezuela—hopes to reduce the role of an international human rights commission and watchdog.

Cuba’s Venezuelan Pawn, The Wall Street Journal

Venezuela’s military government will hold what it refers to as a presidential “election” on April 14, and one of the candidates on the ballot will be Hugo Chávez’s handpicked successor, Nicólas Maduro.

Tough times ahead in post-Chavez Venezuela as dollar scarcity takes its toll, The Washington Post

Doing business in post-Hugo Chavez Venezuela is not for the faint of heart. Thousands of companies suffer under currency controls that all but deny them the U.S. dollars they need to import vital items into this oil-rich country, from food to cars to spare parts — even gasoline.

Dollar-Desperate Venezuelans Get Defrauded on Internet, Bloomberg

The retired Venezuelan teacher says he was so desperate for dollars that he wired his life savings to a front company posing as a Margarita Island inn.

Crop area in 2012 lags behind 2010 levels in Venezuela, El Universal

The results provided by the Venezuelan Ministry of Agriculture and Lands (MAT) reveal that in 2012, the agricultural activity recovered, featuring an important upturn in several highly demanded agricultural items.