Story highlights Chavez's death leaves many unanswered questions

Chavez was the leader of Venezuela for 14 years

Former vice president Nicolás Maduro will take over as president until an election

Thousands of Venezuelans are expected to line the streets Wednesday morning as Hugo Chavez's remains are taken from the military hospital where he died to the Fuerte Tiuna Military Academy in Caracas.

Presidents arrived in the country for the funeral procession, including Uruguay's Jose Mujica, Argentina's Cristina Kirchner and Bolivia's Evo Morales.

The country has declared seven days of mourning, closed schools for the rest of the week and deployed armed forces to "guarantee peace."

The death of the longtime charismatic but controversial leader Tuesday leaves many unanswered questions that Venezuela and the world must now grapple with.

Who is expected to succeed Chavez?

In the short term, Vice President Nicolas Maduro will take over as president of Venezuela until an election is held. He is Chavez's hand-picked successor and delivered the news to the country of the longtime leader's death.

Maduro, 50, has long been a high-profile face in Chavez's administration. He rose from a career as a bus driver in Caracas to Chavez's inner circle.

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Photos: Photos: Venezuela in transition Photos: Photos: Venezuela in transition After Chavez: Venezuela in transition – A man adjusts a banner before the start of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's funeral outside the Military Academy on Friday, March 8, in Caracas. Uncertainty swirled around what happens next in Venezuela as the deeply divided South American country mourned its late leader. Chavez, 58, died Tuesday, March 5, after a battle with cancer. Hide Caption 1 of 20 Photos: Photos: Venezuela in transition After Chavez: Venezuela in transition – A woman wraps up in Venezuela's flag to stay warm as she and others wait in line before the start of Chavez's funeral on March 8 in the capital. Hide Caption 2 of 20 Photos: Photos: Venezuela in transition After Chavez: Venezuela in transition – Chavez's coffin is carried Wednesday, March 6, to the Military Academy for his funeral in Caracas. Hide Caption 3 of 20 Photos: Photos: Venezuela in transition After Chavez: Venezuela in transition – Throngs of Chavez supporters accompany the coffin of the deceased Venezuelan president as it arrives at the Military Academy in Caracas on March 6. Hide Caption 4 of 20 Photos: Photos: Venezuela in transition After Chavez: Venezuela in transition – Crowds in Quito, Ecuador, gather around a large photograph of Chavez to pay their respects to the deceased president on March 6. Ecuador's left-leaning president, Rafael Correa, was a Chavez ally. Hide Caption 5 of 20 Photos: Photos: Venezuela in transition After Chavez: Venezuela in transition – A woman watches as Chavez's casket is driven through the streets of Caracas on March 6. Hide Caption 6 of 20 Photos: Photos: Venezuela in transition After Chavez: Venezuela in transition – A man reacts at Plaza Bolivar of Caracas, on March 6. Hide Caption 7 of 20 Photos: Photos: Venezuela in transition After Chavez: Venezuela in transition – Members of the military escort Chavez's casket down the streets of Caracas on March 6. Hide Caption 8 of 20 Photos: Photos: Venezuela in transition After Chavez: Venezuela in transition – Riot police contain the crowds looking on as Chavez's casket is driven through the streets of Caracas on March 6. Hide Caption 9 of 20 Photos: Photos: Venezuela in transition After Chavez: Venezuela in transition – Palestinians hold portraits of Chavez during a rally in front of the Venezuelan Embassy, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, on March 6. Hide Caption 10 of 20 Photos: Photos: Venezuela in transition After Chavez: Venezuela in transition – Supporters of Chavez light candles while gathering in front of the Venezuelan Embassy in Santiago, Chile, on Tuesday, March 5. Hide Caption 11 of 20 Photos: Photos: Venezuela in transition After Chavez: Venezuela in transition – Venezuelans in Caracas react to the news of Chavez's death on March 5. Hide Caption 12 of 20 Photos: Photos: Venezuela in transition After Chavez: Venezuela in transition – Venezuelan Defense Minister Diego Molero speaks in Caracas on March 5. He said that the Venezuelan people must fight for Chavez's legacy. Hide Caption 13 of 20 Photos: Photos: Venezuela in transition After Chavez: Venezuela in transition – Chavez supporters hold pictures of the late president as they gather on March 5 in front of the Military Hospital in Caracas. Hide Caption 14 of 20 Photos: Photos: Venezuela in transition After Chavez: Venezuela in transition – Venezuelans ride motorcycles through Caracas after the announcement of Chavez's death on March 5. Hide Caption 15 of 20 Photos: Photos: Venezuela in transition After Chavez: Venezuela in transition – A man mourns the death of Chavez outside the Military Hospital in Caracas on March 5. Hide Caption 16 of 20 Photos: Photos: Venezuela in transition After Chavez: Venezuela in transition – Venezuelans shout in the streets of the capital on March 5. Hide Caption 17 of 20 Photos: Photos: Venezuela in transition After Chavez: Venezuela in transition – A Venezuelan woman adjusts the television while watching the news of Chavez's death on March 5 inside a Venezuelan restaurant in Panama City, Panama. Hide Caption 18 of 20 Photos: Photos: Venezuela in transition After Chavez: Venezuela in transition – Many people in Caracas wept openly as news of Chavez's death spread on March 5. Hide Caption 19 of 20 Photos: Photos: Venezuela in transition After Chavez: Venezuela in transition – A man walks past a mural in Caracas portraying the South American liberator Simon Bolivar, the Venezuelan flag and Chavez on March 5. Hide Caption 20 of 20

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What is Maduro's reputation?

Chavez minced no words in his support of Maduro.

"I ask this of you from my heart," Chavez told a crowd in December about Maduro. "He is one of the young leaders with the greatest ability to continue, if I cannot."

But other opinions are mixed.

Maduro has been Venezuela's vice president and foreign minister and has been the recent author of some the country's most radical policies, said Javier Corrales, a professor of political science at Amherst College in Massachusetts.

"But he also has been behind some of the most pragmatic and conciliatory decisions, including the turnaround in relations with Colombia," Corrales said.

When will elections take place?

An election will be called within 30 days, Foreign Minister Elias Jaua said Tuesday.

What power, if any, does the opposition have?

Though Chavez has held a tight grip on his presidency for 14 years, there is an opposition movement in Venezuela.

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Photos: Photos: Celebrities and Hugo Chavez Photos: Photos: Celebrities and Hugo Chavez Chavez's famous friends – Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez greets actor Sean Penn after a meeting at the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas on March 5, 2011. Penn thanked Chavez for the support given by the Venezuelan government to his nongovernmental organization, which benefits victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Hide Caption 1 of 9 Photos: Photos: Celebrities and Hugo Chavez Chavez's famous friends – Chavez kisses the hand of British supermodel Naomi Campbell during a meeting in Caracas on October 31, 2007. Hide Caption 2 of 9 Photos: Photos: Celebrities and Hugo Chavez Chavez's famous friends – Director Oliver Stone and Chavez attend the "South of the Border" premiere during the 66th Venice Film Festival on September 7, 2009, in Venice, Italy. Hide Caption 3 of 9 Photos: Photos: Celebrities and Hugo Chavez Chavez's famous friends – Chavez speaks to actor Kevin Spacey during a meeting at the Miraflores presidential palace on September 24, 2007. Hide Caption 4 of 9 Photos: Photos: Celebrities and Hugo Chavez Chavez's famous friends – Actor Danny Glover and Chavez embrace while attending the The CITGO-Venezuela Heating Oil Program inauguration ceremony in Harlem, New York, on September 21, 2006. Chavez addressed the United Nations General Assembly a day earlier. Hide Caption 5 of 9 Photos: Photos: Celebrities and Hugo Chavez Chavez's famous friends – Actress Susan Sarandon poses for a picture with Chavez and his daughter, Rosa, at the afterparty of the "South of the Border" premiere in New York on September 23, 2009. Hide Caption 6 of 9 Photos: Photos: Celebrities and Hugo Chavez Chavez's famous friends – After attending the premiere of his film "Che," actor Benicio del Toro meets with Chavez at the Miraflores palace on March 4, 2009. Hide Caption 7 of 9 Photos: Photos: Celebrities and Hugo Chavez Chavez's famous friends – Boxing promoter Don King speaks with Chavez and an unidentified woman at the presidential palace in Caracas on February 2, 2004. Hide Caption 8 of 9 Photos: Photos: Celebrities and Hugo Chavez Chavez's famous friends – Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona shares a laugh with Chavez at a press conference in Caracas on July 22, 2010. Hide Caption 9 of 9

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A coalition between former presidential candidate Henrique Capriles Radonski and a group called the Democratic Unity Roundtable has made the country's opposition the strongest it has ever been, some analysts say. But, says Carl Meacham of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the opposition may still not be strong enough.

"Capriles' 11-point defeat in October's presidential election, coupled with Chavez's allies winning 20 of 23 gubernatorial elections in December, underscores the fact that the opposition still holds little power," Meacham says.

Will Chavez's death improve relations with the United States?

Chavez, for years had a stormy relationship with the U.S., and would stir up nationalistic sentiment and popularity by picking fights with the "imperialist" United States and its allies.

Senior American officials don't expect the relationship to change dramatically -- at least in the short term -- primarily because Chavez's system still exists.

The post-Chavez era started out tumultuously Tuesday when Venezuelan officials accused two U.S. Embassy officials of plotting to destabilize the country and said it was expelling them.

The United States will stay out of the upcoming election, an Obama administration official said. But the White House wants it to be "free and fair and credible," the official said.

The U.S. remains open to restoring diplomatic relations with an ambassador regardless of the winner, the official said.

Why does the U.S. want better relations?

One reason analysts point to is Iran.

The U.S. may seek Venezuela's help in imposing sanctions on Iran for its nuclear program, senior American officials said.

Iran and Venezuela have close relations.

Last year, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad traveled to Venezuela as part of a tour of Latin America. The two leaders vowed to work together.

Over the years, the two nations have signed more than 270 accords, including trade deals and agreements on construction projects, car and tractor factories, energy initiatives and banking programs.

The other is oil.

Will the death affect Venezuela's oil supply?

It may, some analysts say -- and that would be a huge concern for the United States.

Venezuela remains the fourth-biggest oil supplier to the U.S. market. If the power vacuum causes exports to drop, U.S. consumers could face higher prices and another hit to the U.S. economy, analysts say.

When is Chavez's funeral planned?

Venezuela is planning a state funeral Friday that is expected to be attended by regional and world leaders and dignitaries, including Ahmadinejad. Chavez will be buried after the ceremony but officials have not said where.

What has been the reaction to the death?

Chavez allies, such as leaders of Ecuador, China, Iran and Cuba, expressed sorrow and solidarity.

Bolivian President Evo Morales' voice cracked as he spoke to reporters, describing Chavez as someone "who gave all his life for the liberation of the Venezuelan people ... of all the anti-imperialists and anti-capitalists of the world."

Longtime critics had a different view, with some saying his death could be seen as an opportunity for change.

"At this key juncture, I hope the people of Venezuela can now build for themselves a better, brighter future based on the principles of freedom, democracy," Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper said.

Opinions varied too among CNN readers who offered their thoughts on iReport.

"We can't in the U.S. always looks at somebody and just label them as a dictator," said Omekongo Dibinga , a motivational speaker from Washington DC.

"At the end of the day, he's somebody who really wanted to help others to do better. For that he should be respected, even by those who did not agree with his policies."

Carlos Quijada said he fled Venezuela 10 years ago as a teen because there was no future there.