"He is a burly former bus driver and high school-drop-out, a devout socialist trained in Cuba but also loyal to a Hindu mystic, who is now in charge of the nation with the world's largest oil reserves. She is his long-time partner, an ambitious lawyer and skilled political operator who steered her companion's rise to the top even as she attained high office in her own right. And Nicolas Maduro and Cilia Flores, both 50, are now the most powerful political couple in Latin America after he was sworn in as acting president of Venezuela late on Friday evening - under the proud gaze of the new first lady, who also happens to be the country's attorney-general. Mr Maduro, the former foreign minister and vice-president, is the hand-picked successor of Hugo Chavez, the charismatic Venezuelan leader who died last week after a long battle with cancer. He is clear favourite to win new elections on the back of a wave of sympathy for his political mentor, whose memory caused him to choke as he delivered his maiden address after being confirmed as interim president."
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