TheJournal.ie uses cookies. By continuing to browse this site you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Click here to find out more »
Dublin: 14 °C Monday 20 May, 2013

Hugo Chavez flies to Cuba for ‘urgent’ cancer treatment

The Venezuelan leader says he will still run in October’s presidential election despite the recurrence of his illness.

Chavez applauds as he is driven to the airport in Caracas on his way to Cuba for surgery
Chavez applauds as he is driven to the airport in Caracas on his way to Cuba for surgery
Image: AP Photo/Fernando Llano

VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT HUGO Chavez has flown to Cuba for ‘urgent’ treatment for cancer.

The 57-year-old has not given more details on the type of cancer. He previously had a tumour removed from his pelvic area last June and he had finished his fourth round of chemotherapy in Cuba in September.

His website showed photos of the president arriving in Cuba at the weekend being greeted by Raul Castro.

He has said that he will still run in October’s presidential election despite his illness.

Before departing for Havana, Chavez spoke on state television and said that the cancer, which he said is ‘probably malignant’, needs to be treated urgently.

“I have faith that everything will go well,” Chavez said. “I say this from my gut: With cancer or without cancer… come rain, thunder or lightning… nobody can avoid a great patriotic victory on October 7,” the president said, adding: “Long live Chavez”.

Last year he used Twitter as a tool to govern remotely as he underwent treatment.  Chavez has not tweeted since last Wednesday when he responded to tweets from some of his 2.6 million followers.

The socialist leader raised eyebrows in December when he questioned whether the United States was behind the wave of cancer which struck some Latin American leaders in recent years.

- Additional reporting by Associated Press

Chavez wonders if US hatched cancer plot against Latin American leaders >

Read next:

Comments (23 Comments)

  • Didn’t Che put hundreds of people in front of firing squads? Please correct me if I’m wrong.

    Reply
  • Get well soon!

    Reply
  • Good luck Hugo.

    Reply
  • Hope he gets well soon otherwise his country will be back in the hands of oil tycoons. A lot of bullshit written about Chavez in western media but the fact is poverty has fallen from 70% to around 20% since he took over and for that he must be applauded. For a good insight into the real Chavez watch “The revolution will not be televised” made by the Irish film board or “South of the border” by Oliver Stone and contrast the lies from US government and media.

    Reply
    • jimmy 27/02/12 #

      Yeah Derek excellent docs ! you should check out war on democracy by john pilger. chavez features a lot in it. Excellent President ! pitty we don`t have the same leadership here

      Reply
  • Get well soon El Presidente.

    Reply
  • If the United States really had some conspiracy cancer plot, then you’d think that the CIA would be doing it somewhere else. Assad? Ahmadinejad? Definitely them. I don’t think South America is high on the priority list. The Middle East would make more sense. Chavez is not a threat. He’s just a nut

    Reply
  • Good luck Commandante!

    Reply
  • Wonder did the CIA cause chavez’s cancer?

    Reply
  • Not one to appreciate the U.S stances on foreign policy, but this guy is as corrupt as they come, so says my Venezuelan partner. Please God (or science or whatever makes the world tick) let this evil swine be ousted for good in this election!

    Reply
  • What do the rest of his citizens do when they get cancer? Yes indeed what a great leader.

    Reply
  • You can romanticise anal but you’ll still end up with a pooey rodger.. Take note, Che lover!

    Reply
    • jimmy 28/02/12 #

      you have made some very credible points lads and yeah he did put hundreds of batista soldiers in the firing squad in Cabana i think. but every one of them got a trial and many innocent were released, the majority of them killed hundreds on students in cold blood, raped women killed fathers infront of thier family and it was to be the son of a batista exile felix rodriguez, trained bt the CIA that was there when the CIA murdered Che. It was a neccessary action to protect cuba and not have a repeat what happened to Arbenez in Guetamala in the mid 50`s Where the cia trained exiles and killed him because he wanted United Fruit (an american company) to stop exploiting his people. The op siad double standards of the left in the op but che guevara never took more money than any one of his men, he worked in the sugar cane for 15 hours on his on day off, castro put his familys land to be one of the first to be divided in the land reform. These people wanted equality for all people. land for the pooor, and no man better than the other and living in an equal society. of course i can clearly see why middle classes and higher class dont agree with that because they feel they are entitled to have more and be treated above average because of status or whatever but this is the age old arguement of socialism vs capitalism. There is a part in George Orwells 1984 in “the book“ that says higher classes want to keep their power, the middle classes want to be where the higher classes are and the lower classes just want to be treated equal.

      Reply
  • Get well, God protect you…. The voice of the masses.

    Reply
  • You should check out the revolution shall not be televised about the coup that took place against him…an Irish camera crew happened to be there and caught the whole coup from inside the presidential palace…really shows how the opposition and the US tried to set him up

    Reply
  • Friend of Ahmadinejad, Gadaffi, Assad, useful only for highlighting the double-standards of the Left, much like Guevara.

    Reply
    • Get well soon El Presidente
      Viva la Revoluçion
      Viva Chavez
      The CIA tried to oust him but the people said NO!

      Reply
    • Is that meant to be a reply?

      Reply
    • jimmy 28/02/12 #

      I`ll give you a reply charles, who the hell are you to even speak the name of EL CHE ! i guarantee you know nada about the great man, guarantee you havent even bothered to inform yourself of anything he has done. you are only a zombie believing whatever you hear in the news or biased media. Che geuvara had an unbelieveable commitment to rid the world of injustice not just in cuba but the whole of the americas and africa, infact all over the world. he was a very intelligent person who helped hundreds of poor all over central and south america. he saw the injustice that the yankee imperialists were causing to the americas and devoted HIS LIFE get rid of it. you say double standards, he lived in the seirra maeistra for two years in a bush, walked the length of cuba to get to havana and after castro was elected he never stopped, he brought the revolution to africa and then to boliva where d yanks knew if people got caught in the revolution the US could never stop it. Chazes is keeping the revolution going strong in south america along with many other countries. most south american presidents are now left wing . do me a favour dude, read a book once in a while before you make a fool of yourself saying daft comments like that, che guevara is the most inspirational person that i have ever known to have lived, PATRIA O MUERTA !! viva el che viva la revolucioun

      Reply
    • And he never killed anyone in cold blood? Funny how you skipped that issue. Maybe you should read more widely yourself.

      Reply
    • Oaklane1 28/02/12 #

      @Jimmy, your claim that he “helped hundreds of poor all over central and south america” could indeed be correct, but the hundreds he helped are the fellow socialist dictators like Castro, Chavez and their friends and families. Its unfortunate by doing so they has practically enslaved millions of their fellow countrymen. And yes you are correct he is keeping the revolution going with new South American leaders like Morales and Correa, and for the peoples of these countries this is very unfortunate.

      Reply

Add New Comment