( CNN ) -- Venezuela 's armed forces will back ailing President Hugo Chavez 's new term amid uncertainty of what a possible power transition might look like , the country 's defense minister said . Chavez was unable to be sworn in last week for a new term because he is in Cuba recovering from a fourth cancer surgery . His absence at the inauguration raised constitutional questions about who is in charge of the country , opposition politicians said . Read more : Chavez misses key speech , but names new foreign minister , Venezuelan VP says . The Supreme Court clarified the issue last week , ruling that Chavez remains president and can be sworn in at a later date . The army will defend that decision , Defense Minister Diego Molero Bellavia said Wednesday . `` Soldiers will abide by and enforce the Supreme Court decision to allow the head of state to return home when his health improves , '' he said . Read more : Venezuela says Chavez is improving . Molero added that the armed forces have `` unconditional loyalty , now more than ever , to commander Hugo Chavez . '' On Sunday , officials said Chavez 's health was progressing positively and that the 58-year-old Venezuelan president was conscious and in contact with his family and political and medical advisers . Read more : Venezuela 's Chavez is not in a coma , his brother says . `` In spite of the delicate state of his health ... the general medical evolution has been favorable in recent days , '' a government statement said , noting that a lung infection Chavez has been battling was under control . Neither Chavez nor the government has said what type of cancer he has , sparking growing speculation about his health and political future . Opposition politicians have decried the lack of transparency , while government officials have accused political opponents and right-wing media of trying to destabilize the government by spreading rumors . Read more : Chavez illness fuels speculation and rumors . Chavez has not made a public appearance or spoken on state television since doctors operated on him more than a month ago . The long absence is not typical of the loquacious leader . Read more : Chavez will not be sworn in on inauguration day . On Tuesday , Vice President Nicolas Maduro stood in for Chavez at the annual state of the union speech . Maduro announced that a former vice president , Elias Jaua , will begin serving as foreign minister . Maduro said that Chavez himself made the designation . Some opposition politicians questioned whether Chavez had actually nominated a new foreign minister , or whether Maduro had effectively taken over the presidency . `` If the president of the republic can sign decrees , I call on him to appear and speak to Venezuela and tell the people what 's happening in our government , because in Venezuela what we have is lack of governance , '' said Henrique Capriles , who unsuccessfully ran against Chavez in the last elections . Capriles spoke at his own inauguration , as governor of the state of Miranda , a post he was elected to following his presidential defeat . He accused the Chavez government of trying to divide the public . `` Never again will Venezuelans fight among themselves , '' he said . `` Never again will we ask the people to get involved in a war . This government wants war ; we want peace . This government wants to go backwards ; we want progress . '' The rising political tension in Venezuela spilled over into a meeting of the Organization of American States on Wednesday . Panama 's ambassador , Guillermo Cochez , criticized the regional body for not taking a stand against the situation in Venezuela , which he described as a `` sick democracy . '' Venezuelan Ambassador Roy Chaderton quickly fired back , calling Cochez 's comments `` poisonous '' and `` miserable '' and accusing him of conspiring with members of the opposition to destabilize Venezuela 's government . Hours later , Panama 's government disavowed Cochez 's remarks , saying they were improvised and did not represent the country 's position . `` Panama reiterates that it will continue to respect to the internal political processes of states , '' Panama 's foreign ministry said in a statement , `` and , in the case of Venezuela , we are praying for the quick recovery of President Hugo Chavez . '' CNN 's Catherine E. Shoichet and Rafael Romo contributed to this report .
NEW : Political tensions in Venezuela spill over into a regional conflict . The armed forces will defend the Supreme Court 's decision on the matter . The court says Chavez is president and can be sworn in at a later date . The army has ` ` unconditional loyalty '' to Chávez , the defense minister says .