Hugo Chávez’s Cancer, Authoritarianism, and the U.S.

[American Patriot]

Hugo Chávez’s Cancer, Authoritarianism, and the U.S.

Published on July 1, 2011 by Ray Walser, Ph.D. WebMemo #3308


On June 10, Venezuela’s President Hugo Chávez arrived in Havana for high-level meetings. Two days later, the press reported he underwent surgery to repair a pelvic abscess. Speculation regarding his health increased with each passing day. Possible diagnoses included acute peritonitis, prostate cancer, or liposuction gone wrong.
Two weeks later, Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro worried publicly that “Chávez is battling for his health.” Other insiders reassured Venezuelans that the president would return by July 5.
On June 29, a silent video aired showing a thinner but relatively healthy-looking Chávez conversing with Fidel Castro, but word went around that Venezuela is canceling a Latin American leaders’ summit scheduled for July 5. Finally, on June 30, Chávez informed his nation that he had undergone surgery to remove a tumor with “cancerous cells.” Chávez’s return is still to be determined.
The secret, Kremlinesque management of Chávez’s illness has demonstrated a major weakness in Venezuela’s current political arrangement: its total dependence upon an elected autocrat and the cult of personality that has increasingly become Chavismo.

Venezuela Under Chávez

For 13 years, Venezuela has marched to the beat of Chávez’s Bolivarian Revolution. While claiming to advance “socialism of the 21st century,” the combative Chávez has polarized and wrecked his nation’s economic, institutional, and political foundations. He has successfully gutted the customary checks and balances of a healthy democracy to render the Venezuelan political system dependent upon his leadership. Fear that Chávez might weaken his grip, become incapacitated for an extended period of time, or die has sent a jolt of anxiety rippling out from Chávez’s inner circle to his supporters in the United Socialist Party (PSUV) and outward to the client states—from Cuba to Bolivia and Nicaragua—that have come to depend on Chávez’s largesse.
In Case of Succession

Chávez’s hospitalization in Havana has engendered frantic discussion about a potential succession. Venezuela’s constitution states that Vice President Elias Juau would become interim president, unless the legislature and PSUV change the rules. Presidential elections are currently scheduled for December 2012.
If Chávez is incapacitated or dies, a struggled for succession will likely occur. A list of potential successors has been mentioned in the press. Vice President Juau is considered an activist and an ideologue wedded to Cuban-style socialism. Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro, a former Caracas bus driver and party activist, is loyal and close to Chávez. Former soldier and 1992 coup participant Diosdado Cabello has important backers in the PSUV and the Chávez-dominated legislature. Two power players also make the short list. They are Rafael Ramirez, Minister of Energy and Petroleum and head of PDVSA, the state-owned oil company, and Finance Minister Jorge Giordani.
None of the above possesses the charisma or bond with ordinary Venezuelans that Chávez has successfully developed. Current public opinion polls show popular support for Chávez, despite Venezuela’s current travails, between 40 percent and 50 percent.
Dynastic succession cannot be ruled out. Chávez’s older brother Adan, Governor of Barinas, sent a shiver down the spine of Venezuela when he quoted Che Guevara and spoke of the need to sustain the Bolivarian Revolution by reminding Chávez followers that authentic revolutionaries cannot forget “other forms of fighting.” While these remarks may have signaled the older Chávez’s readiness to step into Hugo’s shoes, they could also be a warning sign of Venezuela’s potential to slide into civil war without the current leader at the helm.
Venezuela’s Opposition Will Be Strengthened

Assuming Chávez does return to govern in a state of relatively good health, the present crisis moment will reverberate in the opposition’s favor and weaken the hold of Chávez and the PSUV. Venezuela’s democratic opposition will be better positioned to remind future voters that a system of stable government cannot remain dependent on the health of a dominant individual. One-man rule and democracy are inherently incompatible—even via the ballot box.
Aspirants wanting to replace Chávez will need to avoid irreparable divisions and work together to develop a viable program capable of placing Venezuela on a stable path toward institutionalized democracy and more equitable development. They must project an image of competence and demonstrate that they represent a constructive alternative, not the counterrevolution Chávez-backers fear. They need to offer responsible policy options needed to revitalize their country, redirect oil revenue away from the current system of Chávez clients, and build stable and secure relations with the U.S. and other democracies.
The U.S and Chávez

In March, President Obama stated in Chile that “today, Latin America is democratic.” He went on to define democracy as not only elections, but also “vibrant legislatures that provide oversight; independent judiciaries that uphold rule of law…[and] governments that are transparent and responsive to their citizens.” What Venezuela is undergoing is not a demonstration of democracy but a reflection of the further decomposition of the political order. Venezuela is sliding into the same morass that swallowed the Cuba of the Castros. Washington policymakers need to seize the moment to:
Dispel the democracy myth. The President and the State Department should feature in public discourse and diplomacy the fact that Venezuela has strayed dangerously far from democratic norms and now resembles an authoritarian state similar to Cuba. It should make clear that the use of violence to uphold one-man rule is unacceptable.
Make the watchdog bark. The Administration should increase efforts to make the Organization of American States perform its promised role as democratic watchdog and guardian of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, especially as it contemplates celebrating the Charter’s 10th anniversary.
Spotlight Chávez’s dangerous foreign policy. Recent congressional hearings focused on Chávez’s ties with Iran and terrorism, including recent sanctions on PDVSA, but much remains to be discovered regarding Venezuela’s role in drug trafficking, terrorism, support for Iran, and corruption and deception that has burrowed deep into the ranks of Chávez’s inner circle. A weakened Chávez or an anarchic Venezuela will only invite more disorder.
Ray Walser, Ph.D., is Senior Policy Analyst for Latin America in the Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy Studies, a division of the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies, at The Heritage Foundation.

[American Patriot]

Not good time for Bhumibol, Chavez to die

By: Gwynne Dyer
Posted: 06/30/2011 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

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2Two such people seem to be hovering on the brink of death at the moment, though we have no trustworthy medical information about either one. In each case, their death could open the way to civil war. One is Thailand's King Bhumibol; the other is Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez.
Bhumibol, now 83 years old, has been the king of Thailand since he was 21. Although he is a constitutional monarch, his influence is all-pervasive. It has, on the whole, been exercised in ways that promoted Thai independence, calmed domestic political quarrels and supported the emergence of democracy. He has been the still centre at the heart of the storm for many decades, and he is revered by most Thais.
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   • Venezuela postpones July 5 Latin American summit, saying Chavez needs to recover from surgery
   
   

King Bhumibol has spent most of the past two years in hospital, and few Thais expect him to live much longer (although this is never discussed in public). When he goes, the crown will probably pass to somebody who takes sides in the ongoing battle between "red-shirts" and "yellow-shirts" that has divided Thailand and has already caused many deaths over the past few years.
There is an election due in Thailand on July 3. Opinion polls suggest that, as before, a majority of Thais will vote for the party of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by a military coup in 2006. Some 90 red-shirts, the mostly poor and rural supporters of Thaksin, were massacred by the army in a confrontation in central Bangkok last year, and the army may try yet again to reject a pro-Thaksin election outcome.
Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn was once close to Thaksin and probably still secretly supports him, but he is a playboy who is neither loved nor respected by the public. His mother, Queen Sikirit, sympathizes with the yellow-shirts, and is rumoured to be angling for the army's support to make her regent when her (estranged) husband Bhumibol dies, rather than letting the crown prince have the throne.
If the two royals were to align themselves publicly with the opposing sides in a struggle for the throne after Bhumibol dies, they would substantially raise the probability that Thailand could stumble into a full-scale civil war.
If Bhumibol can hang on for another year, the dispute may be settled at the ballot boxes, with the army grudgingly accepting a restoration of the normal democratic order. He may not be utterly indispensable, but he is pretty important for Thailand right now.
And then there is Hugo Chavez. He is not exactly the "dictator" of Venezuela, as U.S. propaganda often calls him (he has been elected a number of times in free elections), but certainly he is a "strongman" in the classic Latin American style. He comes from the army, he once led an attempted coup and he is a full-time demagogue. The only difference is that he is a strongman of the left. And he may be dying.
The official story is that Chavez was in Cuba on June 9, in a private meeting with Fidel Castro, when he suddenly fell ill. Cuban doctors were called in, and immediately operated on him for a "pelvic abscess." But he is still in hospital in Havana two weeks later, virtually incommunicado.
Chavez is an inveterate user of Twitter, but he has only tweeted once in all that time, to announce that his mother, his favourite daughter and his ex-wife had flown to Cuba to see him. He also reportedly telephoned a meeting of his ruling party's senior leaders on Monday, but that may not be true. Venezuelans are speculating that his illness may be fatal, and the people close to Chavez are struggling to reassure his supporters.
If Chavez does recover, he might lose the 2012 presidential election anyway. He will have been in power for 14 years by then, and the mere passage of time has seriously eroded his power base. He has improved the lives of the poor, but a government with an oil income of bazillions of dollars that cannot even produce enough electricity to keep the lights on is bound to lose popularity.
Should Chavez die now, however, there might not even be a 2012 election. His elder brother Adán, the governor of the state of Barinas, reminded everybody that although the socialist government won power through the ballot box, "we cannot forget, as authentic revolutionaries, other methods of fighting." And the army, whose senior ranks have been stuffed with Chavez loyalists, might well back a "revolutionary" seizure of power.
On the whole, then, it would be better if Chavez survived and came back to Venezuela, only to lose the election honestly next year. Like King Bhumibol, he is the indispensable man for the next little while. After that, if all goes well, he can die whenever he wants.

Gwynne Dyer is a London-based
independent journalist whose articles
are published in 45 countries.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition June 30, 2011 A14

[American Patriot]

Chavez IS a dick-tater.

[American Patriot]

Venezuela condemns US human trafficking report



Updated 10:16 a.m., Wednesday, June 29, 2011

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CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela has condemned a U.S. State Department report that lists the country among those failing to combat human trafficking.
Venezuela's Foreign Ministry said in a statement Tuesday that the government will begin an investigation to "determine the responsibility" of U.S. Embassy officials in preparing such reports. It said such work would go beyond the normal diplomatic functions for which U.S. Embassy officials are accredited.
The statement came a day after the U.S. State Department included Venezuela among 23 nations that it said are failing to meet minimum international standards to combat human trafficking.
The State Department said that some Venezuelan women and girls are subjected to sex trafficking and forced prostitution, and that Venezuela is also a transit country for people from other countries who may be subjected to sexual exploitation and forced labor.
The Foreign Ministry said President Hugo Chavez's government "repudiates the hypocritical attitude of the government of the United States."
"That country holds the world record of trafficking in people, especially people from Latin America whose fundamental rights are violated systematically by authorities," the Foreign Ministry said.
Chavez has long been embroiled in tensions with Washington. Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro said earlier this month that relations with the U.S. are frozen and that Venezuela sees no possibility of improving them.
Relations have grown particularly strained since the State Department imposed sanctions last month on the state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA for shipping fuel to Iran.





Read more: http://www.seattlepi.com/news/articl...#ixzz1QrklXxx9

[American Patriot]

Yeah. Chavez is going to die.

He's rushing around trying to make sure someone in his family takes over.

Pretty simple.

[Toad]

The power vacuum after Hugo's death will be pretty substantial. Turbulent times ahead for Venezuela.

[American Patriot]

One can see the military and adherents to Chavez' policies jumping in and taking control.

Problem is that whomever is in charge there in the military now will be the main target, and main taker-overer.. (I know, that ain't a word).

Central and South America has been KNOWN for it's military coups over and over.

It's all over the damned Spanish. They haven't changed in 500 years.

it's no wonder the pirates used to go after them (along with America, France, Britain, the Dutch, Danes and everyone else with a ship....).

[American Patriot]

Da: telesurtv | 01/lug/2011 | 1 visualizzazioni
El jefe del Comando Estratégico Operacional de Venezuela, Henry Rangel Silva, aseguró que el presidente Chávez se encuentra en proceso de recuperación efectiva. teleSUR

OF COURSE he said that.

He can die for all I care. For the good of the country of Venezuela I hope he does.

[American Patriot]

If his OWN people would just keep him from coming home, that would help a lot. lol

[Malsua]

Cool, ole Hugo is cashing his chips at the big Casino.

[American Patriot]

You read them yet, Peterle? We're curious about our south American spies and how they are doing.

/chuckles

[American Patriot]

So you mean he sent you his passport and/or other papers???

Is he trying to protect himself?

[American Patriot]

• JULY 1, 2011, 1:46 P.M. ET

Venezuela Releases New Video Of Chavez Governing From Cuba

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DOW JONES NEWSWIRES CARACAS (Dow Jones)--Venezuelan authorities Friday released a new video of President Hugo Chavez in a meeting with his cabinet members in Cuba, in a bid to tamp down speculation that the leader's health problems may jeopardize his ability to run the country.
Chavez, who underwent surgery nearly three weeks ago and stayed mostly off the airwaves during that time, announced late Thursday that he had a cancerous tumor removed in Cuba. The leader, however, left many questions unanswered, including when he would return to Venezuela and what type of cancer he has.
In the latest video, made June 29, Chavez looks thinner and is seen seated at a small table with his older brother and governor of Barinas state, Adan Chavez, Venezuelan army chief Henry Rangel Silva and Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro.
The nearly 47-minute video is more reminiscent of the speaking style that Chavez has become famous for over the last 12 years in office: long-winded commentary and conversations with his confidants, occasional songs and joking.
"The discipline I have for recovering my health is rigorous, much like when we were cadets," the former tank commander said in the taped meeting.
On Wednesday, the government aired a 90-second video of Chavez reportedly strolling in Cuba, engaged in a conversation with mentor Fidel Castro.
-By Kejal Vyas, Dow Jones Newswires; 58-414-249-6821; kejal.vyas@dowjones.com

[American Patriot]

Hopefully he is ok.

[American Patriot]

I'd say we're on the final count down....


Hugo Chavez travels to Cuba for another cancer operation after designating VP political heir

(Fernando Llano/ Associated Press ) - A person holds up an image of Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez among religious images during a demonstration in support of him at the Simon Bolivar square in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday Dec. 9, 2012. Chavez was heading back to Cuba on Sunday for more cancer surgery after announcing that the illness returned despite two previous operations, chemotherapy and radiation treatment. Chavez said Saturday that if there are “circumstances that prevent me from exercising the preside




By Associated Press, Published: December 9 | Updated: Monday, December 10, 7:18 AM

CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez flew to Cuba on Monday for a third cancer operation after designating the vice president as his political heir.
State television showed images of Chavez hugging Vice President Nicolas Maduro and other aides before boarding the presidential jet.

As anti-American sentiment rose in South Korea, the K-Pop star now known for Gangnam Style performed this violent song.








Chavez raised a fist as he climbed the stairs alone. From the doorway of the plane, he waved and shouted “Long live our homeland!”


The president has said he will undergo cancer surgery in Havana in the coming days. Chavez, who had returned from Cuba early Friday, said on television Saturday that tests had found a return of “some malignant cells” in the same area where tumors were previously removed.


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.


State television reported that Chavez departed for Cuba after 1 a.m. on Monday. Video of his departure was shown hours later.


“I hope to return soon,” Chavez said at an earlier meeting with military commanders where he promoted his defense minister, Diego Molero, to the rank of admiral in chief.


Seated together at the presidential palace, Chavez showed Molero and other military commanders a golden sword that once belonged to independence hero Simon Bolivar.
Chavez held the sword as he told the officers that he fully trusts them.


He also warned of potential conspiracies by enemies, both foreign and domestic.


“I’m totally sure that our homeland is safe,” Chavez told them. He urged them “not to give in to intrigue.”


Chavez, a former army paratroop commander who was first elected in 1998, won re-election in October and is due to be sworn in for a new six-year term on Jan. 10.

Lawmakers on Sunday voted unanimously to grant Chavez permission to leave the country for the operation.


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.


Chavez 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.


Chavez’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! Chavez isn’t going away!”


Several Latin American leaders sent messages wishing Chavez a speedy recovery. Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa, a close ally, announced on Twitter Monday morning that he was traveling to Havana to visit with Chavez.

[American Patriot]

Hugo Chavez announces his new successor after revealing his cancer has returned

• Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez threw his support behind Vice President Nicolas Maduro
  
• Chavez announced Saturday night that his cancer has returned
• The 58-year-old president first underwent cancer surgery for an unspecified type of pelvic cancer in Cuba in June 2011
• He said he would return to Cuba on Sunday to undergo surgery in the coming days

By Daily Mail Reporter
PUBLISHED: 18:08 EST, 9 December 2012 | UPDATED: 02:38 EST, 10 December 2012
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez put his full weight behind Vice President Nicolas Maduro, officially naming him his successor on Saturday after he revealed that his pelvic cancer has returned.
‘If something happens that disables me some way, my irrevocable opinion is that you should elect Nicolas Maduro as the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela,’ Chavez said in a national broadcast late Saturday night.

According to Venezuelan law, Maduro would assume the presidency if Chavez is too ill to carry out his duties. He would remain there until the beginning of the new presidential term, which is January 10. Should Chavez die, elections must be held within 30 days.
Scroll down for video


Successor: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, left, threw his support behind Vice President Nicolas Maduro after announcing his pelvic cancer has returned



Distraught: Supporters of Chavez rallied in the capital after the president's announcement

FROM BUS DRIVER TO VP: WHO IS NICOLAS MADURO?

Vice President Nicolas Maduro, the man Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez named his successor, has been an active member of the country's government since Chavez assumed power in 1998.
The 50-year-old Maduro has been close friends with Chavez since the 1980s.

He got into politics as a teenager, joining the Socialist League, which sent him to Cuba for training in union organizing.
He then became a union organizer in the Caracas Metro system, for which he served as a bus driver.
Maduro worked as a coordinator during Chavez's first presidential election and later became a congressman and president of the assembly until 2006.
As vice president, Maduro has been key in designing the country's radical anti-imperialist policy. He has worked to grow Venezuela's relationship with Iran, Russia and China.



Moises Naim, a former Venezuelan government official told the Washington Post that this was Chavez saying ‘goodbye to power.’
‘It’s a statement full of resignation and appeals to God,’ he said. ‘There is no plan. The only talk of the future is that there will be elections and he asks for people to vote for Maduro.’
Meanwhile, Henrique Capriles Radonski, who lost to Chavez in October, wished the president well but urged people to ‘embrace democracy.’
‘Venezuela does not have succession,’ he said. ‘This is not Cuba nor is it a monarchy that has a king. Here in Venezuela, when someone leaves a position, the people get the last word.’
The 50-year-old Maduro is a former union organizer and bus driver who has rose steadily through the ranks of Venezuelan government. He is one of the founding members of the political party that was the precursor to Chavez’s current party.
In some circles, Maduro is considered one of the strongest voices behind the country’s radical anti-imperialist policy moves and the man responsible for strengthening ties with Libya, Syria and Iran.





Hugo Chavez, (left), speaks to Cuba's President Raul Castro, (center), before the South American leader departed Cuba for Venezuela on Friday

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced Saturday night that his cancer has returned and that he will undergo another bout of surgery in Cuba.
Chavez, who won re-election on October 7th, also said for the first time that if his health were to worsen, his successor would be Maduro.


More...

• Castro fights back at health claims with newspaper editorial (and a picture to prove he is still around to write it)
• Obama secures the socialist vote as Hugo Chavez says that he'd vote for the President

'We should guarantee the advance of the Bolivarian Revolution,' Chavez said on television, seated at the presidential palace with Maduro and other aides.
The president said that tests had shown a return of 'some malignant cells' in the same area where tumors were previously removed. He said he would return to Cuba on Sunday to undergo surgery in the coming days.
Chavez called it a 'new battle.' It is to be his third operation to remove cancerous tissue in about a year and a half.
The 58-year-old president first underwent cancer surgery for an unspecified type of pelvic cancer in Cuba in June 2011, after an operation for a pelvic abscess earlier in the month found the cancer.

He had another cancer surgery last February after a tumor appeared in the same area. He has also undergone chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

Victory lap: Hugo Chavez waves a Venezuelan flag while speaking to supporters after receiving news of his reelection in Caracas




Celebration: A Chavez supporter revels in the streets after the vote in October

Chavez made his most recent trip to Cuba on the night of November 27th, saying he would receive hyperbaric oxygen treatment. Such treatment is regularly used to help heal tissues damaged by radiation treatment.
Chavez said that he has been coping with pain and that while he was in Cuba thorough exams detected the recurrence of cancer.
He arrived back in Caracas on Friday after 10 days of medical treatment in Cuba, but until Saturday night had not referred to his health.

His unexplained decision to skip a summit of regional leaders in Brazil on Friday had raised suspicions among many Venezuelans that his health had taken a turn for the worse.
Chavez said that he was requesting permission from lawmakers to travel to Havana and that he hoped to have good news after the surgery.
This news comes just two months after Chavez drafted tanks and soldiers wielding AK-47s onto the streets of Caracas as he won a historic third re-election after almost 14 years in office.
The decision marked the end of a bitter campaign in which the opposition accused him of unfairly using Venezuela's oil wealth and his near total control of state institutions to his advantage.
Chavez rallied thousands of supporters from a balcony of the presidential palace as he declared victory, holding up a sword that once belonged to 19th century independence hero Simon Bolivar.
'The revolution has triumphed!' Chavez told the crowd, saying his supporters 'voted for socialism.'

The crowd responded chanting 'Chavez won't go!'

The election triumph gave Chavez a freer hand to push for an even bigger state role in the economy and continue populist programs.


Six more years: The win gives Chavez another term to cement his legacy and press more forcefully for a transition to socialism in the country with the world's largest proven oil reserve


Jumping for joy: Supporters of Hugo Chavez celebrate in the streets as the longtime president won re-election

He pledged before the vote to make a stronger push for socialism in the next term. He's also likely to further limit dissent and deepen friendships with U.S. rivals.

A victory for his opponent Henrique Capriles would have brought a radical foreign policy shift including a halt to preferential oil deals with allies such as Cuba, along with a loosening of state economic controls and an increase in private investment.

Good feeling: Chavez gestures to supporters after casting his vote during the election in Caracas

During the election Chavez's critics said the president has inflamed divisions by labeling his opponents 'fascists,' 'Yankees' and 'neo-Nazis,' while Chavez backers alleged Capriles would halt generous government programs that assist the poor.
The news of the return of his cancer is a big blow for his supporters in South America's biggest oil exporter, who elected him in October to a new six-year term in power. Chavez has twice said he was cured, and then had to return to Cuba for more surgery.

In a televised broadcast flanked by ministers at the Miraflores presidential palace, Chavez said that if anything happened to him and a new vote had to be held, his supporters should vote for Vice President Nicolas Maduro - the first time the socialist leader has named a successor.

Chavez returned to Venezuela on Friday from having medical treatment in Cuba, ending a three-week absence from public view.

'Unfortunately, during these exhaustive exams they found some malignant cells in the same area ... . It is absolutely necessary, absolutely essential, that I have to undergo a new surgical intervention,' the 58-year-old said, looking resolute.

'With God's will, like on the previous occasions, we will come out of this victorious.'

The president has already had three cancer operations in Cuba since the middle of last year. News of more surgery will likely raise new doubts about his future and the fate of his self-styled 'revolution' in the OPEC nation.

Chavez, who has dominated Venezuelan politics since taking power 14 years ago, said he would return to Havana on Sunday.

Under Venezuela's constitution, an election would have to be held within 30 days if Chavez were to leave office within the first four years of his next term, due to begin on January 10.

The president has been receiving treatment at the Cimeq hospital in Havana as a guest of his friend and political mentor, former Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz2Ef9DaO4a
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[American Patriot]

31 December 2012 Last updated at 03:21 ET

Hugo Chavez: Venezuela leader suffers 'new complications'

President Chavez, 58 is due to be sworn in for his new term on 10 January
Continue reading the main story Related Stories

• Chavez 'improves' after surgery
• Venezuela faces up to Chavez succession
• Profile: Hugo Chavez

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has suffered "new complications" after a cancer operation in Cuba, his vice-president has said.
In a televised address from Cuba, Nicolas Maduro said Mr Chavez continued to be in a "delicate state".
Mr Chavez underwent his fourth cancer operation on 11 December in Cuba but suffered a respiratory infection.
The president - who has been in power since 1999 - is due to be sworn in on 10 January for another six-year term.
Mr Maduro did not give details about Mr Chavez's condition but said the latest complications were connected to the respiratory infection.
"We have been informed of new complications that arose as a consequence of the respiratory infection we already knew about," he said.
"The president gave us precise instructions so that, after finishing the visit, we would tell the (Venezuelan) people about his current health condition.
Nicolas Maduro, second right, made the televised address from Havana
"The state of health of President Chavez continues to be delicate."
He added that the treatment was "not without risk."
Mr Maduro, appearing solemn, spoke alongside Mr Chavez's eldest daughter, Rosa, his son-in-law Jorge Arreaza, and Venezuelan Attorney General Cilia Flores.
The vice-president said he would remain in Havana "for the coming hours" but did not specify how long.
Secrecy over condition Continue reading the main story Chavez's career

• Born in 1954
• 1992: Leads a failed coup attempt against President Carlos Perez
• 1999: Takes office after winning election
• 2006: Wins another six-year term as president
• 2011: Reveals he is being treated for cancer and has two operations in Cuba
• 2012: Has two more operations
• October 2012: Re-elected for another term as president

Following Mr Maduro's announcement, Information Minister Ernesto Villegas appeared in a special programme on Venezuelan TV, calling on Venezuelans not to believe rumours about the president's health.
"Do not get carried away with things on Twitter, you cannot play with Commander Chavez's health, it is a matter that affects the lives of others. We must act very responsibly, particularly those of us who communicate through mass media," he said.
Late on Sunday, Mr Villegas said a government-organised New Year's Eve concert in central Caracas had been cancelled and he urged Venezuelans to pray for President Chavez.
The BBC's Sarah Rainsford in Havana says it is now three weeks since Hugo Chavez has been seen or heard from in person.
There continues to be huge secrecy surrounding his precise condition, she says.
Continue reading the main story Venezuelan constitution

• Article 231: The president-elect shall take office on January 10 of the first year of their constitutional term, by taking an oath before the National Assembly. If for any reason, (they) cannot be sworn in before the National Assembly, they shall take the oath of office before the Supreme Court.
• Article 233...) When an elected President becomes absolutely absent prior to inauguration, a new election...shall be held within 30 days.
• Article 234: When the President is temporarily unable to serve, they shall be replaced by the Executive Vice-President for a period of up to 90 days, which may be extended by resolution of the National Assembly for an additional 90 days.

There are also many questions about what will happen on 10 January when Mr Chavez is due to be re-inaugurated, our correspondent adds.
National Assembly head Diosdado Cabello recently said that the swearing-in ceremony would be delayed in the case of Mr Chavez's absence.
However, opposition leaders say postponing the inauguration would be unconstitutional.
The constitution states that if there is an "absolute absence" of the president, elections must be held within 30 days.
Mr Chavez has said that, should his health fail, Venezuelans should vote for Mr Maduro in fresh elections.
Officials have never disclosed the type or severity of Mr Chavez's cancer, which was first diagnosed in June 2011.