Sunday, December 9, 2012

L-I-F-E! My cancer is back - Chavez

Venezuelan President, 58 year-old Hugo Chavez has admitted a relapse of his cancer and designated vice president Nicolas Maduro as his heir apparent in case “something happened” to
him.
Speaking on national television, an emotional Chavez, appeared to have given a valedictory speech.
He said a return of cancer cells was detected during his most recent visit to Cuba for medical examination, and he will return to the communist-ruled island today for another round of surgery.
“During this thorough examination, they again detected some malignant cells in the same area as before,” Chavez said in a report filed by AFP.

The Venezuelan leader also said that in the event “something happened” and he were incapacitated, vice president Nicolas Maduro would step in and assume control of the government for the rest of the 2013-2019 term, as required by the constitution.
But in what appeared like a presentation of his final will, the president also indicated he would like Maduro to take over the reins of power in a post-Chavez period, urging Venezuelans to vote for him in the next presidential elections.
“You choose Maduro as president of the republic,” Chavez told the nation. “I am asking you this from all my heart.”
Maduro, who has been serving as Venezuala’s foreign minister for the past six years, was appointed vice president in the wake of the October presidential elections. He has held both portfolios since.
In Cuba last week, the official newspaper Granma explained that Chavez’s treatment consisted of oxygenation.
The American Cancer Society says there is no evidence that this oxygen treatment — in which a patient gets inside a pressurized chamber and breathes pure oxygen for an hour — works against cancer.
But the society says it can serve as treatment for ailments stemming from radiation treatment.
Chavez, who has been in power since 1999 and gained global prominence as an anti-American firebrand, appeared weak and subdued during the presidential campaign, but still managed to win another term that extends to 2019.

Prior to Saturday’s surprise announcement, he had last been seen in public on November 15, and two weeks later he went to Cuba for treatment.

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