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Speculation is growing that Venezuela's president Hugo Chavez is suffering from a serious illness having not been seen in public for nearly two weeks. Venezuelan officials have claimed he is recuperating in Cuba after undergoing surgery there for a pelvic abcess - but will not give any further details. Mr Chavez was last heard speaking on the phone on state television two days after the operation, but his seclusion and silence since have sparked fears among his supporters that he could be seriously ill.
Some reports have gone as far as to claim the president is in a "critical condition". That speculation has highlighted the lack of clarity over who would take over if the president was forced to relinquish power. Under the country's constitution, vice-president Elias Jaua would step up during "temporary" absences of up to 90 days. If Mr Chavez was to die or resign, the vice-president would serve the remainder of his six-year term.
Steve Ellner, a political science professor at Venezuela's University of the East, said the future of the president's political movement could hinge on whether ill health prevents Mr Chavez from designating his successor himself. He said: "There is no second in command in the Chavez movement. "If Chavez is unable to endorse anyone there will inevitably be dissension."
Source
I wish you'd evolve to a sentient being before you commented.I dont wish any of you dead for what you believe , I just wish your minds would start working to their full potential
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who is in Cuba following emergency surgery, is in critical but stable condition, Miamis El Nuevo Herald reported, citing US intelligence sources. Chavezs government has said he was operated on for a pelvic abscess on June 10 and is recovering well; the presidents brother has told Venezuelan state media that Chavez could return to Caracas in about two weeks. However, the Venezuelan government has not addressed details of Chavezs condition and angry opposition lawmakers in Caracas say it is unconstitutional for the president to be governing from abroad.
The Spanish-language El Nuevo Herald on Saturday cited unnamed US intelligence sources as refusing to comment on rumors in Venezuela that Chavez could be receiving treatment for prostate cancer. Yet one source told the paper that Chavez, 56, is in critical condition; not on the brink of death, but critical indeed, and complicated. The same sources said Chavezs daughter, Rosines, and his mother, Marisabel Rodriguez, were recently whisked off to Cuba in an air force plane. They took Marisabel and her daughter out urgently, another source told the paper.
Late on Saturday, several top Venezuelan government officials dismissed the report. Chavez will be around for a long time, Venezuelan Vice President Elias Jaua told reporters. Venezuelan Minister of Information Andres Izarra urged his Twitter followers to not repeat rumors. Chavez is recovering well from his operation, Izarra said. Chavezs enemies should stop dreaming, and his friends should stop being nervous, Temir Porras, a senior diplomat, said in a Twitter message.
Chavez himself fired off a brief Twitter message saying that his youngest daughter and three grandchildren arrived in Cuba to visit him. The firebrand leftist leader was hospitalized on June 10 in Havana, his top regional ally, for what officials said was an operation for a pelvic abscess. The uncharacteristic silence from someone known for his verbal omnipresence left some foes speculating that Chavez might have had plastic surgery, or might want to drum up sympathy for his illness ahead of an election next year in which he will seek a third term.
After almost two weeks of silence, Chavez took to Twitter on Friday, but did not address the controversy over his time spent recovering in Cuba. Chavez arrived in Cuba on June 8 on the final leg of a trip that also included Brazil and Ecuador. He was rushed into emergency surgery after suffering sharp pain diagnosed as a pelvic abscess that required immediate surgery. Chavez is Cubas main economic and political ally. His cut-rate oil keeps the cash-strapped and isolated regime of Cuban President Raul Castro afloat.
Chavez in ?critical? condition: report - Taipei Times
Chavez operated on for 'pelvic abcess'
Well, he is getting treated in that medical paradise of "Sicko" Moore's.Chavez operated on for 'pelvic abcess'
Sounds like a case of government run healthcare.
Wellllll.... we ARE talking about South America. Their track record in these matters is not precisely stellar.Hopefully he kicks soon and the folks in Venezuela don't make the mistake of electing another Communist thug in his place. He's really ruined that country as well as many people's lives.
...don't you mean, 'let that be a lesion to you"?Pelvic abscess? Let that be a lesson to you, lefties: Chronic head-up-the-ass can be quite serious.
Supporters of the Venezuelan president, Hugo Chávez, reacted with dismay and denial on Thursday to news he had cancer, but vowed to push forward his self-styled revolution while he recovered. "This is a lie, Chávez does not have cancer, I don't know why he said it but it's not true," said Luis, a worker painting a wall in a downtown Caracas plaza. "We don't have to be afraid. Cancer is a disease that can be treated," said Javier, a waiter. Neither gave surnames. Supporters, who for two weeks had been condemning the cancer rumours as a smear campaign by the opposition, looked overwhelmed as they watched Chávez's speech.
Chávez's ministers came out immediately with a joint television appearance to pledge loyalty and unity. "There is no time for sadness, but for reflection and bravery, the vice-president, Elías Jaua, said. "Unity is what is needed at this moment. Let's show our support for our President Chávez on the streets." Jaua said the ministers would "deepen" Chávez's socialist reforms during his absence. And he urged Chávez's supporters to show their solidarity in massive street rallies called to commemorate 200 years of independence from Spain over the coming days.
Venezuelan state TV showed cabinet ministers and Chávez supporters gathering at Plaza Bolívar in the city centre, chanting "Chávez, our friend, the people are with you." Fireworks could be heard in the west side of Caracas, where people on the street shouted: "He's alive! He's alive!" Eva Golinger, a US lawyer and outspoken Chávez supporter, said Venezuelans should celebrate Chávez's announcement that the cancerous cells were entirely removed. Comandante Chávez is recovering and is very strong!! Everything will be cured, there is no doubt. He looks strong and everything has been removed," she said on Twitter. Golinder pointed out that other Latin American presidents including Brazil's president, Dilma Rousseff, and Paraguay's president, Fernando Lugo, had successfully recovered from cancer.
Critics of Chávez greeted the news with a combination of glee at the president's ill health and optimism about the chances for the opposition, which has failed for over a decade to unseat him despite repeated national strikes, a botched coup and a recall referendum. "This will lead to a transition of presidents. It's perfect!" said Freddy Herrera, 25, an accountant, "because the revolution doesn't work, because socialism is a lie." Chávez's detractors also flooded Twitter with criticism, questioning why the president did not disclose his condition despite insistence by the opposition. "If the president and his ministers are capable of lying to us about his health, imagine the daily lies about other issues," said one Twitter user.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jul/01/chavez-cancer-diagnosis-venezuelans
