Chavez swearing-in delay legal, rules Venezuela court

Opposition leader Henrique Capriles accepted the ruling as binding, but said it did not end the uncertainty facing Venezuela.

Mr Chavez is in hospital in Cuba after undergoing cancer surgery.

Earlier, the National Assembly voted to give Mr Chavez as much time as he needed to recover.

Supreme Court President Luisa Estella Morales said it would be "absurd" to consider Mr Chavez's treatment in Cuba as an unauthorised absence.

She said that the oath of office could be taken at a later date, as the constitution states, and Mr Chavez's re-election had guaranteed "continuity" in government.

Unanimous decision

In a televised statement, Ms Morales read out the unanimous decision of the panel of seven magistrates who handle constitutional issues before the court.

She said there was a clear distinction between the act of taking the oath and the beginning of a new mandate