Chavez funeral gathers leaders from across globe

As the political transition gets under way, the farewell to Chavez has also been extended, with Maduro saying the public viewing period would last at least seven more days after the funeral.

People wait to pay respects to late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, outside the Military Academy in Caracas on Thursday. Venezuelans filed past the open casket of Chavez as he lay in state after throngs of people gave his body a rousing farewell on the streets on the eve of his funeral. [Ronaldo Schemidt / Agence France-Presse]

Chavez lay in a half-open, glass-covered casket in the academy's hall, wearing olive green military fatigues, a black tie and the iconic red beret that became a symbol of his 14-year rule.

The government said more than two million people had come since Wednesday to get a glimpse of their hero. Many stood in line through the night.

"He's in there, but my comandante is immortal," said Saul Mantano, a 49-year-old salesman with a hat emblazoned with Chavez's name and the Venezuelan flag. "I didn't want to see him dead, but it's a reality now."

Soldiers and civilians, many clad in red, walked past the casket, pumping their fists to their hearts or blowing kisses.

Chavez lay with a red sash across his torso bearing the word "militia" - the name of a 120,000-strong armed civilian force that he had formed.

A four-man honor guard and four tall candelabras flanked the coffin, with a golden sword at the foot of it.

The country gave Chavez a rousing send-off through the streets of Caracas on Wednesday, one day after he lost his battle with cancer at the age of 58, with a sea of people in red shirts throwing flowers on his coffin.

After being sworn in as acting president, Maduro will likely face off in elections to be called within 30 days against opposition leader Henrique Capriles, who lost to Chavez in the October presidential polls.