Fully aware of the fact that the road to recovery for Spain is still long, the government presented a new set of reforms and adjusted economic growth predictions for the next few years.

The government of Mariano Rajoy forecasted the public deficit for this year at 6.3 percent of the GDP, a much higher target than the previous 4,5 percent, and it’s now expected that the country’s GDP will contract by 1.3 percent for 2013. But the most serious situation is unemployment, at an alarming 27,1 percent, a rate the government admits is likely to stay the same for the remainder of this year and will probably only decline slightly to 26,7 percent in 2014.

Despite reigning indignation and rejection from nearly half of Venzuelan voters, President-Elect Nicolás Maduro will take the oath of office today. In a country overwhelmed by violence and the lack of basic resources, what might hurt Maduro the most is his radical position against the opposition.

According to State Representative, Américo de Gracia, the administration is “starting off on the wrong foot by demonstrating little democratic willingness” and low tolerance. The official party has reiterated that it wll turn its back on any local government that fails to support the presidency, which would affect the only three states in the country governed by the opposition.

Meanwhile, Henrique Capriles says he fears for his safety after the Government accused him of inciting violence.

The President-in-charge and President-Elect of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, said he will accept and adhere to any decision made by the National Electoral Council (CNE) in terms of reviewing the results of last Sunday’s elections.

Opposition leader, Henrique Capriles, said a team from his campaign will formally file a request for review on Wednesday; he has refused to accept results until a recount has been completed. Capriles said he is acting based on a series of irregularities he insists took place on election day, which could have affected “more than a million votes.”

According to initial results, Maduro won the election with 7,575,506 votes, only 1,83 percent above Capriles, who got 7,302,641 votes. The opposition leader had urged followers to gather on Wednesday in front of the CNE building but later cancelled it after Maduro banned it.

The President-Elect of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, vowed to live up to the legacy of deceased President Hugo Chávez and said there are some trying to undermine the institutions and infringe on the wish of the majority of Venezuelans.

“I am the son of Chávez, I am a ‘chavista’, I am the first ‘chavista’ president after Hugo Chávez Frías and I will fulfill his  legacy of protecting the humble, the poor, protecting the nation, caring for independence, of building socialism,” Maduro said.

After being declared the winner of Sunday’s elections Maduro said “the majority is the majority and must be respected.” “Anyone who tries to infringe on the majority in a democracy is staging or calling for a coup d’etat.”

The National Electoral Council said Maduro got 50,75 percent of the votes (7’563.747) and Henrique Capriles, 48,97 percent (7’298.491).

The President of Argentina, Cristina Fernández, decreed three days of national mourning for the at least 52 fatal victims left behind by intense downpours in the cities of La Plata and Buenos Aires on Tuesday.

On Wednesday Fernández visited the flooded portions of La Plata, her hometown, some 60 Km from Buenos Aires, and met with the Governor of the Buenos Aires province, Daniel Scioli.

In La Plata there are 46 confirmed dead, while the death toll is up to six in Buenos Aires. The President also visited Mitre, one of the Buenos Aires neighborhoods most seriously affected by the storm.

The race for the presidency of Venezuela officially begins today, but the competition has been heated for weeks now. The two main candidates, Nicolás Maduro and Henrique Capriles, have already toured half the country aggressively trying to undermine each other and win voters’ support.

The challenge for both is to paint a clear picture of what a future without Hugo Chávez, who succumbed to cancer on March 5^th, looks like for 28 million Venezuelans. The tone of the campaigns, however, has been filled with verbal attacks and criticism, with Maduro going as far as threatening to arrest Capriles for questioning the date of Chávez’ death.

Meanwhile Maduro’s mission seems to be to convince the people of Venezuela that Hugo Chávez lives on in him and insisting that social programs created by Chávez that benefit the poor will be in danger of disappearing if he were not elected. He has the support of 20 out 0f 23 governors in the country who “will do whatever it takes to get Maduro elected,” says Latin American studies expert, Shannon O’Neill.

“Maduro isn’t Chávez,” said former Information Minister who also works on Maduro’s campaign, Andrés Izarra, “Maduro is his son. He is the person (…) who will move forward with his legacy. That is what will give him the victory.”

Capriles has accused Maduro of exploiting Chávez’ legacy. Analysts feel the rushed manner in which both candidates must campaign leads both to give a more aggressive tone to their discourse to  make the most out of each public appearance.

On the second day of the conclave, Cardinals gathered in the Sistine Chapel chose  the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, as the new Pope of the Roman Catholic Church.

French Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran made the announcement to thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square, who welcomed the news with jubilant cheers. Bergoglio will take the name Francis.

During his first appearance and blessing, Pope Francis asked people to pray for him and mentioned his predecessor Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. 76-year-old Bergoglio will take the name Francis; he is a trained chemist and was created Cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 2001. He is known for his humility and love for the poor, and his choice of the name Francis reflects that love.

Bergoglio is the millennium’s first Latin American pope.

In a carefully planned but quiet ceremony, the interim President of Venezuela, Nicoas Maduro, registered his presidential candidacy for elections on April 14th with the National Electoral Council.

President Hugo Chávez succumbed to cancer on March 5th in Caracas after a 14-year reign in Venezuela, he died before taking office for his third term as president.

“I am not Chávez but I am his son, and all of us together, the people, we are Chávez,” Maduro said after the ceremony concluded.  The candidate for the opposition is Henrique Capriles, who ran against and lost to Hugo Chávez in previous elections.

The body of deceased Venezuelan President, Hugo Chávez, will lie in state for seven more days and will then be embalmed and put on display in a glass casket “so that he can be seen forever,” said interim president, Nicolás Maduro, who assured the people of Venezuela that the Government is taking all the measures it can to ensure that they have their leader forever.

Some 33 heads of state from around the world are expected to attend the President’s funeral, which is scheduled for Friday morning at 10:00 a.m. (9:30 in the United States).

The corpse of deceased President of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, was transferred on Wednesday from the Caracas Military Hospital to the Military Academy, where it will remain until the funeral on Friday. The Government declared seven days of national mourning were declared and closed all schools for the rest of the week as well.

Following a brief religious ceremony the casket, with a Venezuelan flag draped over it, was carried out of the hospital on the shoulders of an Honor Guard who placed it into the  hearse that would transfer it to the Academy. Thousands of Venezuelans flooded the streets of Caracas to wait for the procession to pass and salute their President.

Venezuelan Foreign Relations Minister, Elias Jaua, said the Government is expecting at least ten presidents to attend Chávez’ funeral on Friday; the President of Argentina, Cristina Fernández; Bolivia, Evo Morales, and Uruguay, José Mujica, already arrived.

Hugo Chávez died on Tuesday at the age of 58 almost two years after being diagnosed with cancer; he underwent four surgeries, the latest on December 11^th in Havana, Cuba, where he chose to receive treatment.

Vice-President, Nicolás Maduro, is the interim president until elections take place 30 days from now.