BEIJING, March 6 (Xinhuanet) -- The Venezuelan government says President Hugo Chavez has died. Vice President Nicolas Maduro announced to the country on the state-run TV that Chavez died at in a military hospital in Caracas on Tuesday.

Maduro said Chavez passed away "after battling a tough illness for nearly two years." The announcement came just hours after Maduro announced the government had expelled two US diplomats from the country.

Venezuela’s military chiefs appeared live on the state TV Tuesday to pledge their loyalty to Vice President Nicolas Maduro following the death of President Hugo Chavez. Chavez had named Maduro as his preferred successor. The 58-year-old leader had undergone four operations in Cuba for cancer.

His last surgery was on December the 11th and he had not been seen in public since. Chavez won a new six-year term at an election in last October and his death will devastate millions of supporters who adored his charismatic style. The death apparently sets up a presidential election to replace Chavez.

(Source: CNTV.cn)