Venezuela's Chavez warns of long cancer battle

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez kisses a Venezuelan national flag President Hugo Chavez put on a triumphant display to show he was firmly back in charge of Venezuela, but warned supporters on his return from Cuba of a long cancer battle ahead. Thousands turned out at the presidential palace to witness what was an important show of strength after a nearly month-long political hiatus, timed smartly as a prelude to the start of Tuesday's bicentennial celebrations.
"Long live Venezuela! Long live the Venezuelan people! Long live the union of Latin America! Long live Fidel (Castro)! Long live Cuba! Long live life! And long live Chavez!" Chavez cried, rallying the crowd with trademark gusto.
Dressed in military uniform topped by his red paratrooper's beret and waving a large Venezuelan flag, the anti-American firebrand and leftist icon appeared lively and showed no outward signs of fatigue from his illness.
The crowd, some waving Cuban flags as a token of thanks, others clasping photos of Chavez, sang the Venezuelan anthem throughout his address and expressed joy and relief that their ailing president was back home.
Chavez, who admitted that he had been through some "very difficult hours," cautioned that he had only gone through the "first stage" of the battle, and urged patience and strength on the march toward a "final victory."
"I am sure you completely understand the challenges of this battle. Don't let anyone believe that my presence here on this 4th of July means we have won the battle," he said.
"No! We have started to head up the hill, to beat the disease that entered my body -- for whatever reasons -- but we will need to keep following a strict medical program little by little, and I know you will understand."
It was almost four weeks ago, on June 8, that the 56-year-old Venezuelan leader arrived in Cuba on a routine official visit to his longtime leftist allies in Havana, who are heavily dependent on oil exports from Latin America's main producer.
Two days later he was rushed to hospital for emergency treatment on what Cuban and Venezuelan officials said was a pelvic abscess. Conflicting reports and mounting speculation about his condition followed.
As days ran into weeks, the absence of a man ordinary Venezuelans were used to seeing on television, hearing on radio, or reading on Twitter every day led to naval-gazing about political life without the omnipresent leader.
Last week eyebrows were raised further when Venezuela postponed the inaugural summit of a new Americas bloc -- Chavez had been due to host the regional gathering, a pet project that excludes Canada and the United States.
Then on Thursday, Chavez, who has a gift for the theatrical, made a dramatic announcement on state television via video from Havana, telling his nation that doctors had found and removed a cancerous growth.
With the country reeling, officials have since confirmed the tumor was in his pelvic area and that all the president's organs are fine. They have not said what type of cancer it was or what the longer-term prognosis is.
Chavez, who has been elected three times since 1999 and survived an aborted coup in April 2002, has already announced his intention to run for another six-year term in 2012.
His Bolivarianism -- named after Simon Bolivar, the Venezuelan general and liberator -- and "Socialism for the 21st Century" has failed to equitably spread Venezuela's oil wealth despite the nationalization of key industries.
The United States suspects greed and power-lust in his self-styled ideology and accuses him of presiding over widespread rights abuses, selective prosecution for political gain and media intimidation.
A US intelligence report earlier this year said Venezuela's near 30 percent inflation and negative growth would be a massive challenge for Chavez, but admitted that his hold on power remained secure despite his party's lackluster performance in September 2010 legislative elections.
Chavez's populist anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist rhetoric and his ability to portray himself as a regional powerbroker have helped him retain strong support, which hovers around 50 percent in most surveys.
"We love you, we love you, toward victory forever!" read some of the signs brandished on Monday at the Miraflores presidential palace, reprising a rallying cry made famous by leftist icon Che Guevara.
On exiting the plane from Havana shortly after sunrise, Chavez raised his arm in a victory salute before being greeted by Vice President Elias Jaua, his brother Adan Chavez, and several cabinet ministers.
Chavez acknowledged he would not be able to take part fully in July 5 celebrations marking 200 years of Venezuelan independence from Spain, but appeared lively and chatty, even singing a few lines from a popular song.
"This is the start of my comeback," the former paratrooper said, joking that he felt like a military cadet again thanks to his rigorous new routine of "medical checkups, rigid schedule, medications and rehabilitation."
The Venezuelan military, which briefly overthrew Chavez in 2002, has pledged its full allegiance.
Observers were not surprised the ailing leader had made a hasty return following his cancer announcement.
"Given his illness, there are a lot of question marks that start emerging among his base supporters, and his supporters in the government," said political expert Luis Vicente Leon.
"So Chavez really needed to stop those things in their tracks to keep his revolutionary government united."