Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez is undergoing surgery for cancer in Havana today. Cuban doctors will operate on a lesion in the pelvic region, the same area that the president was treated for cancer last year.
In typical Chavez fashion, the treatment has been surrounded by rumours, with the details of his cancer notoriously being kept secret. It was confirmed on Wednesday that the president would travel for an operation.
In a nationally televised address, Chavez called the relapse a “terrible ambush”, but was adamant that this would not affect his standing for office in October.
“On the contrary, this setback that we have to face collectively should further strengthen … the revolutionary Bolivarian ideology,” he said.
In June 2011, the self-proclaimed leader of the Bolivarian revolution underwent surgery in Cuba twice for cancer. The two left-wing countries have enjoyed a special relationship ever since Chavez came to power in 1999. Under the Venezuelan government programme, Mission Barrio Adentro, Cuban doctors provide free healthcare in Venezuela, in exchange for cheaper oil.
Despite the illness, Chavez, 57, will stand for re-election in October after governing the country for 11 years. He has continuously faced criticism for his method of rule and authoritarian tendencies. His opposition is Henrique Capriles, a former state governor, who after wining primaries in early February, is backed by a coalition of opposition parties.
