‘A very tough blow’ or ‘a step toward real change’?: Hugo Chavez as polarizing in death as he was as ruler of Venezuela

Reactions to the death of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez were as mixed, polemical and outsized as the leader was in life, with some saying his passing was a tragic loss and others calling it an opportunity for Venezuela to escape his long shadow.

Seen as a hero by some for his anti-U.S. rhetoric and gifts of cut-rate oil, others considered him a bully.

Before meeting Chavez for the first time nearly four years ago, Prime Minister Stephen Harper called Chavez for how he saw him — the leader of an authoritarian petro state that he saw as a relic of the Cold War, one that was on the wrong side of sound economic theory and practice.

On Tuesday, Harper had kind words only for the Venezuelan people that the charismatic leftist had left behind.

Leo Ramirez/AFP/Getty ImagesA supporter of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez holds a portrait of him outside the Military Hospital in Caracas next to Army members on March 5, 2013.

The prime minister said he was offering his “condolences to the people of Venezuela,” and that he looked forward “to working with (Chavez’s) successor and other leaders in the region to build a hemisphere that is more prosperous, secure and democratic.”

Harper said he hopes the death of Chavez brings a more promising future for the Venezuelan people.

“At this key juncture, I hope the people of Venezuela can now build for themselves a better, brighter future based on the principles of freedom, democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights,” Harper said in a statement Tuesday evening.

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