Earlier, Mr Maduro had suggested it would be preserved and displayed like Lenin, Ho Chi Minh and Mao Zedong.

 

Mr Maduro said Russian experts thought it would probably not be possible, as the body had not been properly prepared in time and now presented complexities⁴.

 

Meanwhile, the official mourning period has been extended until Friday.

 

After the president's death on 5 March, the government had declared seven days of official mourning.

 

The United Nations general assembly held a minute of silence for Mr Chavez on Wednesday.

 

 

Mr Maduro, who is running for president in the 14 April elections, commented on the deceased leader's embalming⁶（以香料或药材为尸体防腐） during a speech.

 

"Russian and German scientists have arrived to embalm² Chavez and they tell us it's very difficult, because the process should have started earlier, immediately and now it's not possible. We are in the middle of the process, and it's complicated," he told the crowd.

 

Earlier, the acting president said an alleged⁷ plot to murder the opposition⁸ presidential candidate, Henrique Capriles, had been discovered.

 

Mr Maduro said the government would make sure his opponent received police protection.

 

"(The plan has been) linked to the group of Roger Noriega and Otto Reich in the United States, to make an attempt on the life of the presidential candidate of the opposition."

 

Earlier in the week, Venezuelan officials said they would set up an inquiry⁹ to investigate suspicions that President Hugo Chavez was murdered by foreign agencies.

点击收听单词发音