The body of Hugo Chavez may not have been embalmed and put on display for eternity but on the arms, legs and breasts of devoted Venezuelans, "el Comandante" will live on forever. As Venezuela prepares to elect Chavez's successor on Sunday, the booming personality cult surrounding the late former president is best reflected in the roaring trade of the country's tattoo parlors. Tattoo artists throughout Caracas are reporting a surge in requests for Chavez-related body-art, ranging from copies of the former president's signature to more detailed portraits of his face.

Argentine football legend Diego Maradona visited the tomb of his friend Hugo Chavez on Friday and urged Venezuelans to elect the late leftist leader's designated successor in this weekend's presidential election. Wearing a white shirt and donning diamonds in each ear, Maradona called on Venezuelans to vote for acting President Nicolas Maduro on Sunday to continue the socialist leader's legacy. "Continue the struggle," Maradona said on state-run television after visiting the marble tomb in an old military barracks perched in a hillside Caracas neighborhood.

By Daniel Wallis and Todd Benson CARACAS (Reuters) - The late Hugo Chavez's self-declared socialist revolution will be put to the test at a presidential election on Sunday that pits his chosen successor against a younger rival promising change in the nation he polarized. Most opinion polls give his protege, acting President Nicolas Maduro, a strong lead over opposition challenger Henrique Capriles thanks to Chavez's endorsement and the surge of grief and sympathy over his death from cancer last month.

Venezuela's acting President Nicolas Maduro and opposition rival Henrique Capriles made Thursday their final pitches in a brief and bitter race to replace Hugo Chavez on the anniversary of a failed coup against the late leader. One month after Chavez died, Maduro and Capriles head toward Sunday's election after a campaign marked by insults, allegations of assassination plots and the transformation of the fallen firebrand leftist into a religious-like figure.