REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, CARACAS -Grieving and stunned supporters of deceased Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez took to the streets on Tuesday weeping, chanting slogans and vowing to continue their hero's revolution.

Gathering in streets and squares across the South American nation of 29 million people, backers of the socialist leader shouted: "Chavez lives forever!" and "The fight continues!"

"He was our father. 'Chavismo' will not end. We are his people. We will continue to fight!" said Nancy Jotiya, 56, in Caracas' downtown Bolivar Square, named for Venezuela's independence hero and Chavez's idol, Simon Bolivar.

Venezuela's opposition leader, Henrique Capriles, offered condolences and called for unity. 

Hatred among the wealthy

Some opponents could not hide their happiness at the end to a rule they viewed as a cruel dictatorship. 

"At last!" shouted some women, coming out of their homes in one upscale neighborhood.

Hatred for Chavez ran deep among the wealthier members of Venezuela's population. Some openly celebrated his death on Twitter.

The number of Venezuelans hunting for luxury homes around the world jumped by a greater degree than any country last year as political uncertainty escalated in the South American state, a report from property consultant Knight Frank shows.

The 123-percent increase of searches from Venezuela was ahead of Brazil in second place with an 81-percent increase, according to the company's Wealth Report, which for the first time tracked users of its website, where homes can cost up to 100 million pounds (150.7 million USD).

Knight Frank has 1.2 million visits to its website each month and the share of traffic from South America grew by 178 percent between 2011 and 2012 though the region still represents less than 10 percent of the total, the company said.

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