Chavez to be embalmed 'like Lenin'

CARACAS - Agence France-Presse

A poster of Venezuela's late President Hugo Chavez with messages from supporters such as, "My eternal president," and "I'm Chavist until I die," hangs outside the Military Academy in Caracas, March 7, 2013. Venezuelans flocked to pay tribute to Chavez two days after he died of cancer. REUTERS photo

Late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez will be moved to a barracks where he will lie in state for longer than had been planned then be embalmed "like Lenin," interim leader Nicolas Maduro said Thursday.

Chavez had been due to lie in state until a funeral on Friday, but Maduro said millions wanted to see him, so he will be displayed for an extra week in the military base from where he spearheaded a failed coup in 1992.