Throngs of Venezuelans file past Chavez's coffin Associated Press Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Updated 11:33 am, Thursday, March 7, 2013 The multitudes wept and crossed themselves as they reached the president's coffin Thursday, united in grief and admiration for a man many considered a father figure, even as Venezuela remains deeply divided over the future. In a nod to the insecurity that plagues this country, mourners had to submit to a pat down, pass through a metal detector and remove the batteries from their mobile phones upon entering the military academy where Chavez is lying in state until his funeral Friday. [...] Rafael Riera, secretary general of an opposition party in Chavez's native Barinas state, told The Associated Press that the late leader's family had requested he be buried there, next to his grandmother. The foreign minister also struck the defiant, us-against-the-world tone the government has projected since Chavez died, which some critics fear could incite passions in a country that remains on edge. While much of this country was immersed in collective grief, millions who bitterly opposed Chavez's take-no-prisoners brand of socialism were staying away from the mourning crowds, quietly hoping Chavez's death would usher in a less confrontational, more business-friendly era in this major oil-producing country. Diego Molero, has even pledged military support for Maduro's candidacy against likely opposition candidate Henrique Capriles, raising concern among critics about the fairness of the vote. Capriles, the 40-year-old governor of Miranda state who lost to Chavez in October, has stayed largely out of the public eye, though he was conciliatory in a televised address after the president's death. Ramon Guillermo Aveledo, executive secretary of the opposition coalition, called the defense minister's declarations "unacceptable" as well as "false, unconstitutional."