For 10-1/2 years, Venezuelans have lived with a political system known as "chavismo" - part populist politics, part personality cult - under socialist leader Hugo Chavez.
But as the leftist president confronts yet another round in his long-running battle with cancer, Venezuelans now face the prospect of a new brand of chavismo, one led by Chavez's hand-picked successor, Nicolas Maduro.
Chavez on Saturday revealed that doctors he consulted in Cuba found new malignant cancer cells in the same area where the disease was first diagnosed last year. In announcing his imminent departure to Cuba for treatment, Chavez gave Venezuelans a hint of the gravity of this most recent relapse, urging his compatriots to "choose Maduro as president" if his illness renders him unable to lead the nation.
Maduro, Venezuela's foreign minister for the past six years, in October assumed the additional post of vice-president, after Chavez was re-elected for a third term.
But with his plea late on Saturday that Venezuelans elect Maduro to succeed him, Chavez "began the process of transition" to his successor, said Datanalisis institute president Luis Vicente Leon.
Chavez's endorsement appears to ensure that the party machinery will be behind Maduro.
Long-time observers have praised Maduro for his low-key style and his skill at forging common ground between opposing factions in the ruling coalition.