Venezuela’s vice president has been sworn in as interim president, just hours after hundreds of thousands of mourners attended the state funeral of late President Hugo Chavez.

Venezuela's vice president has been sworn in as interim president, just hours after hundreds of thousands of mourners attended the state funeral of late President Hugo Chavez.

Nicolas Maduro’s swearing-in on Friday took place at the National Assembly in the capital Caracas.

"I swear by the most absolute loyalty to comrade Hugo Chavez that we will fulfill and see that it's fulfilled the constitution ... with the iron fist of a people ready to be free," Maduro, 50, said at his swearing-in.

Venezuela's opposition coalition had announced through spokesman Angel Medina that it would boycott the inauguration of Chavez's hand-picked successor, calling it "fraudulent".

The country's Supreme Court has ruled that Maduro could become acting president while polls were called within 30 days.

Shortly after his swearing-in, Maduro urged the national electoral council to "immediately" call for an election.

He said he had officially asked Tibisay Lucena, the council president, to "immediately convene presidential elections".

Maduro also named Jorge Arreaza, Chavez's son-in-law and Venezuela's science and technology minister, as his vice president.

Both Maduro and Diosdado Cabello, the National Assembly president, pledged to follow Chavez's example and push his socialist-inspired agenda.

Earlier on Friday, Maduro featured prominently at Chavez's funeral, receiving a ceremonial sword, which is a replica of the sword carried by Simon Bolivar, the Latin American liberator.

Maduro is a former bus driver who later became a union leader. He had been foreign minister since 2006. Chavez then tapped him as his vice president three days after winning re-election last year.