The president will undergo cancer surgery in Havana in the coming days. He also said for the first time that IF he suffers complications, Maduro should be elected as Venezuela’s leader to continue his socialist movement.”I hope to return soon,” ChÁvez said at an earlier meeting with military commanders.
Chávez won re-election in October and is due to be sworn in for a new six-year term on Jan. 10.
He has called his relapse a “new battle” and said there are risks. It will be his third operation to remove cancerous tissue in about a year and a half.
The president underwent surgery for an unspecified type of pelvic cancer in Cuba in June 2011, after an earlier operation for a pelvic abscess. He had another cancer surgery last February after a tumor appeared in the same area. He has also undergone chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
Chávez said in July that tests showed he was cancer-free. But he had recently reduced his public appearances and on Nov. 27 returned to Cuba for hyperbaric oxygen treatment. Such treatment is regularly used to help heal tissues damaged by radiation treatment.
Chávez’s supporters poured into city plazas across the nation on Sunday to pray for his recovery. Some wiped tears, while others held photos of him and chanted in unison: “Ooh-Ah! Chávez no se va!”
Several Latin American leaders sent messages wishing Chávez a speedy recovery. Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa, a close ally, announced on Twitter Monday morning that he was traveling to Havana to visit with the Mandatario.(yahoo)