Members of the guard of honor wait for the arrivals of heads of state that will attend the funeral of Venezuela's late President Hugo Chavez at the airport in Maiquetia, near Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday,... (Associated Press) 
 
 A supporter of Venezuela's late President Hugo Chavez holds up a sign that says in Spanish "I am Chavez" as Vice President Nicolas Maduro speaks to the crowd outside the military academy where Chavez's... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this photo released by Miraflores Press Office, Cuba's President Raul Castro salutes as he stands next to the coffin containing the remains of Venezuela's late President Hugo Chavez during his wake... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this photo released by Miraflores Press Office, Cuba's President Raul Castro, left, and Venezuela's Vice President Nicolas Maduro stand upon their arrival to the Fort Tiuna military academy to visit... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this photo released by Miraflores Press Office, mourners walk beside the coffin containing the body of Venezuela's late President Hugo Chavez on display during his wake at a military academy where... (Associated Press) 
 
 Workers paint a mural that is symbolic of the eyes of Venezuela's late President Hugo Chavez on the stairs at the El Calvario monument in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, March 7, 2013. Among the leaders gathering in Caracas were close allies such as Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa, Brazil's current and former leaders, Dilma Rousseff and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and Cuban President Raul Castro. The government has designated Maduro, Chavez's hand-picked successor, as the official socialist party candidate in a special presidential election that the constitution requires be held within 30 days. Thousands of his supporters lined the streets Wednesday in a procession from the military hospital where he died to a military academy where Venezuelans could view him.
– Hugo Chavez's state funeral is today, and leaders from around the world have traveled to Caracas for the event—which is set to begin at 10:30am local time but whose details have been, per the AP, "shrouded in astonishing secrecy." At least 50 countries from five continents have sent delegations, including more than 30 heads of state. Among them are such notable Chavez allies as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Raul Castro. "He was a dear friend of all nations worldwide," Ahmadinejad said, according to CNN. "He was the emotional pillar for all revolutionary and freedom-seeking people." Even the US will be represented, with Rep. Gregory Meeks and former Rep. William Delahunt, both Democrats, making the trek. For a partial list of the leaders present, click here. Hordes of Venezuelans came out to get a glimpse of Chavez at his wake yesterday, waiting in lines that started forming as early as Wednesday, the New York Times reports. (Reuters reports 2 million have filed past his body.) The funeral represents a major opportunity for his successors to engage with the public, the AP points out. Vice President Nicolas Maduro will be sworn in today as well, National Assembly president Diosdado Cabello announced last night—even though according to Venezuela's constitution, Cabello himself should become interim president. Maduro is Chavez's chosen successor, and will be his party's presidential candidate.