"I share great sadness with so many people around the world who are mourning President Hugo Chávez Frías' untimely death. He died too young, and leaves this world too soon. Some have called him the first democratically elected leader of Venezuela, and it is without question that because of the role he played in history, tens of millions of the poorest and most oppressed people of his country are today participants in their own government. Hugo Chávez led a hemispheric struggle for social justice, democracy, peace, and sustainability, and his influence across the Americas will be felt for decades to come. I wish the people of Venezuela continued success in their struggles for self-determination and a more equitable society."
Dr. Jill Stein, the 2012 Green Party presidential nominee, just now issued the following statement on the death of Hugo Chávez Frías, president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela: