Instructions: In this task, you are given a text of many news articles seperated by special token "|||||". Your task is to summarize them.
Input: (CNN) -- A political clash over the legitimacy of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's next term loomed as the announcement came that he will be unable to attend his inauguration. 
  
 With Chavez unable to be sworn in, a number of constitutional questions have become central: Can the president be sworn in on another day? And who should be in charge in the meantime? 
  
 The disagreement hangs a cloud of uncertainty over Venezuela, as political forces disagree on whether Chavez will be a legitimate president or whether someone else should assume power and call for new elections. 
  
 Officials on Tuesday confirmed that medical treatment in Cuba will keep Chavez from being sworn in for his new term this week. 
  
 At the same time, supporters and opponents of Chavez are bracing for a legal battle over whether the inauguration can be postponed. 
  
 Chavez: Survivor and Venezuela's long-serving president 
  
 A statement from Venezuela's vice president read before lawmakers Tuesday said that the constitution authorizes "at a later date, the swearing-in before the Supreme Court." 
  
 "The process of post-surgical recuperation must continue past January 10 of this year, so he will not be able to appear on that date before the National Assembly," the statement said. 
  
 The 58-year-old Venezuelan president has been treated for cancer in Cuba for the past month, most recently battling respiratory complications. 
  
 Read more: Venezuela: As Chavez battles cancer, Maduro waits in the wings 
  
 A fierce debate 
  
 Tuesday's formal announcement sparked a fierce debate in the assembly, intensifying a political battle that has been playing out for weeks in news conferences, on the country's airwaves and in social media posts. 
  
 The constitution says Chavez can be sworn in before the Supreme Court, but the wording is not clear about whether that swearing-in must occur Thursday or who should run Venezuela in the meantime. 
  
 The president of Venezuela's Supreme Court is scheduled to speak to reporters Wednesday. 
  
 Supporters and critics of Chavez both point to the country's constitution but offer wildly different interpretations of what it says. 
  
 Opposition lawmakers said in Tuesday's debate that Chavez should be declared temporarily absent from his presidential post to avoid a power vacuum. 
  
 They argued that Diosdado Cabello, the head of the National Assembly, should temporarily assume the presidency while Chavez recovers. 
  
 But Cabello, a close Chavez ally and member of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, said that would be unconstitutional. 
  
 "There is no way to interpret (the constitution). It is extremely clear," he said. "Everything else is a wish." 
  
 Julio Borges, an opposition lawmaker, said Chavez's supporters were fighting among themselves and putting the country's future in jeopardy. 
  
 "You are denying the application of the constitution ... and what is unjust is that the Venezuelan people are paying the price of your internal fight while the (country's) problems are still alive and kicking," he said. 
  
 Tuesday's debate became so heated that one member of the opposition accused Chavez's supporters of hurling a copy of the constitution at him. 
  
 Supporters of Chavez pumped their fists in the air and gave a standing ovation after passing a resolution affirming that Chavez could remain president and be away from the country for as long as necessary to deal with his illness. The resolution backed the interpretation of the constitution held by Chavez's supporters. 
  
 Opposition leader calls for action 
  
 Henrique Capriles, the man Chavez defeated at the polls in October, said earlier Tuesday that the Supreme Court must clarify the confusion. 
  
 Read more: With Chavez ill, uncertainty reigns in Venezuela 
  
 "There is a conflict here," Capriles said. "What is the Supreme Court waiting on?" 
  
 As far as the opposition is concerned, Capriles said, the constitution is clear that the president's term ends on January 10 and a new period begins. 
  
 If Chavez is unable to be sworn in, it creates a leadership vacuum that must be filled by the National Assembly president, and the possibility of new elections arises, Capriles said. 
  
 Cabello has said that he has no intention of assuming power if Chavez is not sworn in. 
  
 "When (the opposition) talks about a power vacuum, they are proposing a coup," Cabello said, the state-run AVN news agency reported. 
  
 Maduro: 'The popular will is what prevails' 
  
 The government says that Chavez's new term begins automatically because he was re-elected and that the inauguration could be held later. 
  
 In remarks broadcast on national television Tuesday night, Vice President Nicolas Maduro said the inauguration date "is a formality." 
  
 Speaking to Venezuela's military leaders, he said that declaring Chavez temporarily absent from his post "would be crazy because the popular will is what prevails." 
  
 Voters have re-elected Chavez, he said, calling on the military to help continue Chavez's revolution. 
  
 There is no such automatic continuity of power, Capriles said, arguing that "the only thing that has continuity are the country's problems." 
  
 "If the constitution is not followed, or there is a conflict of interpretation, the Supreme Court has to take a position," he said. 
  
 Capriles expressed concern about unrest or political crisis in the absence of a decision by the high court. 
  
 Chavez has not been seen in public and officials have not released any photographs of him since he arrived in Havana for his fourth cancer operation in early December, fueling speculation that his health is worse than the government is letting on. 
  
 Last week, a government spokesman said Chavez was battling a severe lung infection that has caused respiratory failure. Ernesto Villegas said the president was following a strict treatment regimen for "respiratory insufficiency" caused by the infection. 
  
 His condition remained unchanged Monday, the government said in a statement. 
  
 "Treatment has been administered permanently and rigorously, and the patient is supporting it," the statement said. 
  
 CNN's Paula Newton and Esprit Smith contributed to this report. ||||| Image caption Mr Chavez is said to be stable despite a lung infection 
  
 The Venezuelan National Assembly has approved a request by President Hugo Chavez to postpone his inauguration for a new term in office, which was scheduled for Thursday. 
  
 Mr Chavez is in hospital in Cuba after cancer surgery, and has suffered complications caused by a lung infection. 
  
 Legislators voted to give Mr Chavez as much time as he needed to recover. 
  
 He has not been seen in public since his last operation a month ago. 
  
 The government insists that the inauguration is a mere formality for an incumbent leader and can take place at a so far unspecified later date. 
  
 The opposition argues that Mr Chavez's current mandate expires on 10 January and is calling on the Supreme Court to rule on the issue. 
  
 The court has scheduled a news conference at 14:00 GMT on Wednesday. 
  
 Venezuelan constitution Article 231: The president-elect shall take office on 10 January... by taking an oath before the National Assembly. If for any reason, (they) cannot be sworn in before the National Assembly, they shall take the oath of office before the Supreme Court. 
  
 The president-elect shall take office on 10 January... by taking an oath before the National Assembly. If for any reason, (they) cannot be sworn in before the National Assembly, they shall take the oath of office before the Supreme Court. Article 233: When an elected president becomes absolutely absent prior to inauguration, a new election... shall be held within 30 days... Pending (this), the president of the National Assembly will assume responsibility for the presidency of the Republic. 
  
 When an elected president becomes absolutely absent prior to inauguration, a new election... shall be held within 30 days... Pending (this), the president of the National Assembly will assume responsibility for the presidency of the Republic. Article 234: When the president is temporarily unable to serve, they shall be replaced by the... vice-president for a period of up to 90 days, which may be extended by resolution of the National Assembly for an additional 90 days. 
  
 "Right now in Venezuela, without any doubt whatsoever, a constitutional conflict has arisen," opposition leader Henrique Capriles said. 
  
 The opposition is trying to tread a fine line between expressing its views and avoiding anything that could be construed as an attack on a suffering Mr Chavez, says BBC Mundo's Abraham Zamorano in Caracas. 
  
 According to the opposition, Mr Chavez should be declared temporarily incapacitated with the current Speaker of the National Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, not Vice-President Nicolas Maduro, taking over as caretaker leader. 
  
 They argue that Mr Maduro, who was appointed by Mr Chavez not elected, will cease to be vice-president on 10 January. 
  
 Rallies called 
  
 President Chavez, who has been in power since 1999, was re-elected in October for a fourth term. 
  
 Analysis The government's insistence on giving Mr Chavez more time to recover from surgery shows how important one individual is to the Socialist Party. President Chavez's charisma has helped him to win several elections and he inspires devotion among his supporters. Even if he is not participating in the day-to-day running the country, his allies will want to keep him as a figurehead for as long as possible. For the opposition, Mr Chavez's continuing illness raises the possibility that another six years of Chavismo may not be inevitable. They are pressing for Mr Chavez to be declared absent from his post on Thursday. But rather than rush back to the ballot box, the opposition is arguing for National Assembly Speaker Diosdado Cabello to take over as interim leader. That would force a major change in government without appearing to attack a very ill man. 
  
 After weeks of speculation, Mr Cabello announced to legislators that Mr Chavez had requested to be sworn in at a later date before the Supreme Court, according to Article 231 of the Constitution. 
  
 "On the recommendation of his medical team, the process of post-operation recuperation will have to be prolonged beyond 10 January, [as a result of which] he will be unable to present himself on this date to the National Assembly." he said, reading a letter from Mr Maduro. 
  
 Mr Cabello has called on Chavez supporters to take to the streets of Caracas on Thursday to show support for him. 
  
 He said several foreign leaders had agreed to be at the Miraflores Presidential Palace on inauguration day. 
  
 But Mr Capriles urged them to stay away and not succumb to "a game by a political party", referring to Mr Chavez's Socialist Party (PSUV). 
  
 In the latest update on Mr Chavez, Information Minister Ernesto Villegas said his condition was "stable", and he was "responding to the treatment". |||||
Output:
In not-so-surprising news, the Venezuelan government said today that Hugo Chavez is too sick to attend his own inauguration on Thursday, reports the BBC. So now what? Chavez's camp says it's no big deal, arguing that the swearing-in is a mere formality that can be postponed until Chavez is well enough to travel. But the opposition thinks the constitution makes clear that if the incoming president can't be sworn in, the National Assembly leader must form a caretaker government and call new elections. It wants the nation's Supreme Court to settle the dispute. "The Supreme Court has to take a position on what the text of the constitution says," says opposition leader Henrique Capriles, who lost to Chavez in the fall election. "There is no monarchy here, and we aren't in Cuba." The National Assembly leader, for his part, says he has no intention of taking over on Thursday, reports CNN. "When (the opposition) talks about a power vacuum, they are proposing a coup."