02 February,2009 12:12 PM IST | | Agencies
Venezuela's government, known for spur-of-the-moment decisions, yesterday created a new national holiday on February 2 to commemorate populist President Hugo Chavez's taking power.
The announcement came less than 24 hours before the holiday was to begin.
The popular anti-US leader, who celebrates 10 years of his self-styled socialist revolution today, has changed the country's flag, coat of arms, and moved the time zone by half an hour.
Vice President Ramon Carrizalez said the day would declared "a day of festivity, because the people have things to celebrate and many things to defend".
Today, Chavez is scheduled to host friendly leaders, including Bolivia's Evo Morales and Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega, to mark his taking power in 1999, two weeks before a vote to determine if he should be allowed to stay another decade.
The vote would amend the constitution, which he helped rewrite, to remove a provision limiting presidents to two successive terms.
The loquacious leader is famous for showing up hours late to scheduled events, talking for up to eight hours in a single sitting and making major policy announcements in off-the-cuff commentary.
