VENEZUELANS rallied in Caracas today to mark the 10th anniversary of Hugo Chavez’s death.

Addressing a vigil by the Bolivarian revolutionary leader’s tomb, United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) first vice-president Diosdado Cabello said the world would still be talking about Chavez in 200 years’ time.

Foreign guests at the weekend-long commemorations included former Cuban leader Raul Castro, Bolivian President Luis Arce and former Bolivian president Evo Morales.

Alongside ceremonies, a World Meeting for the Validity of Bolivarian Thought discussed Chavez and his legacy.

Mr Morales, addressing a session on Decolonisation and Socialism, said the best tribute to Chavez and Fidel Castro would be to maintain the anti-imperialist struggle.

The two were “commanders of the forces of liberation for Latin America and the Caribbean … who broke the fear of speaking out against capitalism and the empire [the United States],” he said.

“We struggle against an imperialism that persists in its plans to oppress our people and plunder our natural resources.”

He also praised the Cuban and Venezuelan co-operation on medical internationalism, saying over 700,000 Bolivians had received treatment from the countries’ joint medical solidarity missions.

Mr Morales called for a “plurinational America of the peoples for the peoples” as a bulwark against domination by US imperialism.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said the Bolivarian Revolution was standing firm today.

“Ten years later we can tell you that here we are whole, standing and victorious, and ready to continue the battle in the remainder of the 21st century,” he declared.