Chavez's body to be embalmed, preserved and put on permanent display

Hugo Chavez's body will be preserved and forever displayed inside a glass tomb at a military museum not far from the presidential palace from which he ruled for 14 years, his successor announced on Thursday in a Caribbean version of the treatment given Communist revolutionary leaders such as Lenin, Mao and Ho Chi Minh.

Hugo Chavez's body will be preserved and forever displayed inside a glass tomb at a military museum not far from the presidential palace from which he ruled for 14 years, his successor announced on Thursday in a Caribbean version of the treatment given to Communist revolutionary leaders such as Lenin, Mao and Ho Chi Minh.

Vice president Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela's acting head of state, said Chavez would first lie in state for "at least" seven more days at the museum, which will eventually become his permanent home. It was not clear when exactly he would be moved from the military academy where his body has been since Wednesday.

A state funeral will be held on Friday which will be attended by more than 30 heads of government, including Cuban President Raul Castro and Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. US Rep. Gregory Meeks, a New York Democrat, and former Rep. William Delahunt, a Democrat from Massachusetts, will represent the United States, which Chavez often portrayed as a great global evil even as he sent the country billions of dollars in oil each year.

Maduro said the ceremony would begin at 11am, but did not say where.

This handout picture released by the Venezuelan presidency press office shows Venezuelan vice president Nicolas Maduro (R) observing the coffin as a supporter weeps during the funeral of the late President Hugo Chavez, in Caracas. (AFP Photo)

A band performs during a concert to honor Venezuela's late President Hugo Chavez, in Managua. (Reuters)