The Public Insight Network, an online community of people who have agreed to share their opinions with The Miami Herald, was asked about the situation in Venezuela. Here’s what some said. You can join the network by going to MiamiHerald.com/Insight.

Q: Do you agree with the Supreme Court decision that Hugo Chávez’s inauguration could be postponed?

A: No. In my opinion, the Venezuelan Supreme Court’s decision was based on the premise that President Chávez will return to Venezuela “at some point” or “later” as they have said. However, there isn’t a specific timeframe set for this abstract language. More so, Chávez has not appeared in any videos, which leads many to speculate what the situation really is. Before the Supreme Court made its decision it should have pressed to hear first-hand from the president himself to know all the facts and then make a decision.

Alina Brouwer, Miami

A: No. Why is the government allowing the country to be put on hold while the President recovers? If [Chávez] cannot do it then let the people speak and have another election…The next person in charge, Mr. Maduro, will hopefully take the country to a new level of leadership.

Sharon Welsch, Miami

Q: How should the U.S. respond to Chávez’s delayed inauguration?

A: The Secretary of State or the President should deplore the violation of the Venezuelan constitution, but that’s about as far as it should go. This is not the occasion to make a major statement about the lamentable state of democracy in Venezuela. We should also, as a matter of form, wish Chávez a speedy recovery, although in fact we should be hoping he expires quickly, before his successor is able to consolidate power.

Robert A. Benzinger, Tucson, AZ

Q: Do you expect Chavismo to deepen or weaken under Venezuelan Vice President Nicolás Maduro?

A: Maduro lacks the personal charisma of Chávez, so he will, at least initially, be weaker. This could lead to one of four outcomes:

1. The ruling party could collapse under its own weight and the opposition could gain power.

2. There could be a split within the ruling party and a prolonged power struggle.

3. The loss of Chávez’ personal charisma could push the ruling party toward a harsher, more institutionalized form of repression with less attention paid to the form of democracy. More like Cuba or the [former] Soviet Union.

4. Maduro could hang onto the Presidency, but in a weakened form, without the authority and legitimacy of Chávez. In this scenario, the Chavista regime would not collapse immediately, but would slowly slide downhill, both economically and in terms of its regional influence.

Robert A. Benzinger, Tucson, AZ

A: I expect the Chavismo to weaken. Vice President Nicolas Maduro doesn’t have the necessary experience to deal with the big challenges Venezuela will be facing in the near future. He was a bus driver and a subway labor organizer. Venezuela needs new talented people that truly love their country and can confront its challenges directly. Unfortunately, Mr. Maduro is not one of them.

Gerardo Angulo, Minnetonka, MN