Chavez in appeal to middle class

30 July 2011 Last updated at 01:50 GMT Chavez brought out a yellow shirt for his birthday The Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez, says he wants to open up his socialist political project to the middle classes and private sector.

Mr Chavez said his government had to convince Venezuela's middle classes they were needed.

Speaking by telephone on state television, he said he was entering a more reflective period of his life.

Mr Chavez recently underwent cancer treatment in Cuba, but plans to stand for re-election next year.

The Venezuelan leader made his comments a day after he celebrated his 57th birthday, when - appearing in yellow rather than his characteristic red shirt - he told a rally of cheering supporters that he was in no mood to leave office in the near future.

In Friday's telephone interview, Mr Chavez said the treatment to remove a tumour had led him to radically change his life towards a "more diverse, more reflective and multi-faceted" period.

He told his supporters to eliminate divisions and dogma, and end what he called the abuse of symbols such as the term "socialist".

"Why do we have to always have to wear a red shirt?" said Mr Chavez. "And the same goes for the word 'socialism'."

The president cited the example of a mayor in the governing party who inaugurated a "Socialist Avenue", which Mr Chavez described as "stupid".

"We need to reflect and introduce changes in our discourse and in our actions."

Cuban lessons

Mr Chavez, who came to power in 1999, said the private sector and the middle classes were "vital" to his political project.

He said it was a shame that attempts to be more inclusive of these groups in society had been criticised by some in official circles in Venezuela.

"Raul Castro is leading a process of self-criticism," said Mr Chavez, hinting that Venezuela could learn from the reforms being undertaken by the president of Cuba, who has made some concessions to the private sector since taking over from Fidel Castro in 2006.

Mr Chavez said his government needed to correct the perception that small businesses would be taken over by the state.

"We have to make sure no-one believes that," he said. "We have to convince them about our real project, that we need this sector and that we want to acknowledge their contribution."

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Chavez goes to Cuba for treatment

17 July 2011 Last updated at 05:35 GMT Hugo Chavez announced he would temporarily delegate some of his powers Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is back in Cuba to undergo further treatment for cancer.

He said doctors had found no more malignant cells in his body after he had surgery to remove a tumour.

President Chavez said he was due to undergo chemotherapy on Sunday.

He delegated some of his powers to the vice-president and the finance minister but resisted calls from opposition politicians to hand over all presidential powers during his absence.

'Time to live'

Boarding his plane in Caracas, President Chavez said he was in fighting spirit.

"Tomorrow I begin chemotherapy treatment, and we're going to give it everything we've got," he said.

"It's not time to die, it's time to live," he added.

He did not clarify how long the treatment would take, or whether there would be more trips to Cuba in the future.

Earlier on Saturday, Venezuela's National Assembly had voted to allow Mr Chavez to return to Cuba to resume cancer treatment, including chemotherapy.

During a sometimes heated debate, opposition politicians had urged him to delegate the running of the country to his vice-president.

Mr Chavez dismissed the calls, saying he would "come back much better than I am right now".

But speaking during a televised cabinet meeting which followed, he announced he would - for the first time since he came to power 12 years ago - delegate some of his powers.

Vice-President Elias Jaua would oversee the expropriation of businesses and a number of budget-related duties while he was receiving treatment in Cuba, he announced.

He added that Finance Minister Jorge Giordani would also temporarily take on some additional duties.

The president said his decision had come as a result of "deep reflection" during his fight against cancer.

Continuing treatment

Since his return home on 4 July, the 56-year-old president has cut his workload on doctor's orders.

He has not given precise details of where the tumour was found, only that he was operated on in the pelvic region.

Some people will be surprised by the president opting to go back to Cuba instead of staying at home for treatment, says the BBC's Sarah Grainger in Caracas.

But the strong bond he has with Cuba's former leader Fidel Castro, who first noticed he was not looking well, and his ability to recover away from the public eye may make Cuba a more compelling place for treatment, adds our correspondent.

Despite his illness, Mr Chavez has kept up his public image; his Twitter account (in Spanish) has been active over the last two weeks, with several messages posted each day.

He has made several recent appearances on television - addressing troops, attending Mass and leading a Cabinet meeting - although his speeches have been shorter and he no longer makes them late into the night.

Officially, he still plans to run for re-election in late 2012.

During his 12 years in power, Mr Chavez has built up deep support among the poor by spending on social programmes. But there are growing problems, including high inflation, frequent electricity shortages and a lack of affordable housing.

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Chavez braced for more treatment

13 July 2011 Last updated at 15:40 GMT Hugo Chavez receives a blessing during Mass at Caracas military academy Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has acknowledged that he expects to have radiotherapy or chemotherapy in his ongoing cancer treatment.

But he still did not say what type of cancer he has, in a telephone interview with state TV.

Mr Chavez had surgery in Cuba last month to remove a cancerous tumour.

Since his return home on 4 July, the 56-year-old president has cut his workload on doctor's orders.

Mr Chavez still officially plans to run for re-election

President Chavez said it was a major operation and lasted about six hours.

"I had a big, big tumour," he said. "When I saw that image, I said, 'My God, it's a baseball."'

"I'm in the second stage of the disease, [going through] an organ-by-organ assessment and other factors. I mustn't give more details."

Mr Chavez managed to get back to Caracas in time for the nation's 200th independence anniversary, though he was conspicuous by his absence from the celebrations.

Officially, his plans remain unchanged to run for re-election in late 2012.

President Chavez has been actively posting messages on Twitter.

He has appeared on television in the past several days addressing troops, doing stretching exercises and leading a Cabinet meeting.

Nevertheless his battle with cancer has raised questions over his ability to carry on as leader. He has no obvious successor.

He attended Mass on Tuesday night at the military academy in Caracas, joining friends and aides in praying for his recovery.

Once an altar boy, President Chavez has fallen out with some Venezuelan Roman Catholic leaders. But he remains a Christian, believing Jesus stood for principles similar to socialism.

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Life without Chavez

1 July 2011 Last updated at 15:51 GMT Hilberto Caravalo said he was relieved to know what was happening to the president After weeks of speculation about the health of President Hugo Chavez, Venezuelans are now adjusting to the reality that their head of state has been treated for cancer in Cuba and may not return to the country for some time, says the BBC's Sarah Grainger in Caracas.

President Chavez appeared frail during a recorded message to the nation broadcast on state television on Thursday evening.

He admitted he had undergone an operation in Cuba to remove cancerous cells.

It was the first time Venezuelans had seen him speak in three weeks since he had fallen ill while on an official visit to Havana.

For some people on the streets of the capital, Caracas, Mr Chavez's announcement came as a relief.

"There's been a lot of speculation so I'm happy that now we know what's happening," said Hilberto Caravalo.

But Italo Calderon said the president's place was back home.

"The president should be treated in Venezuela because we need him back here," he said.

Italo Calderon said Mr Chavez should return to Venezuela for his medical treatment

Throughout his absence his ministers have insisted that he is capable of running the country from Cuba, and has been in constant contact with his inner circle.

In a live broadcast from the presidential palace which immediately followed the president's message, Vice-President Elias Jaua emphasised national loyalty.

"Unity is what is required right now," he said.

"To all the revolutionary forces of the country, allied parties, social movements, we call you to unity, maximum discipline, to co-ordinate the actions necessary to move forward with our revolutionary politics," he said.

Political uncertainty

But the president's announcement has strengthened calls for him to step aside temporarily and allow his vice-president to take over executive powers.

Mr Chavez ended the speech with the revolutionary slogan: "Forever onward toward victory!"

"The country's problems… lack of electricity, the prisons, medical strikes, continue to require attention whether or not the president is here," opposition lawmaker Eduardo Gomez Sigala told the BBC.

In the longer term, the announcement has implications for the president's ambitions to run for another six-year term of office in 2012.

"It raises the possibility that next year's elections should be brought forward because we can't live with this vacuum for a prolonged period," said Manuel Felipe Sierra, a political analyst based in Caracas.

And beyond his own personal ambitions, President Chavez's absence has highlighted the fact that there seems to be no apparent heir to his position within his Socialist Party.

"Chavez isn't a president, he's a leader," Sierra said.

"It's all about his personality and when a leader is not there, there is an important gap."

It now looks unlikely that President Chavez will return to Venezuela to take part in bicentennial celebrations scheduled for next Tuesday.

But as he has been absent from the country for almost a month, Venezuelans are already getting used to living without him.

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Army plays down Chavez concerns

1 July 2011 Last updated at 13:51 GMT Mr Chavez ended the speech with the revolutionary slogan: "Forever onward toward victory!"

Venezuela's army has dismissed concerns about political instability in the country after President Hugo Chavez's admission that he had cancer surgery.

"The country is calm," the army chief, Gen Henry Rangel Silva, said.

He said Mr Chavez, who remains in Cuba after the operation, was "getting better" and was still in charge.

Speculation about Mr Chavez's health had been rife since he left Venezuela three weeks ago for what officials said was an operation on a pelvic abscess.

But in a speech on Thursday, the president - who has been in power for 12 years - revealed he had also had surgery to remove a cancerous tumour.

He added that he was determined to overcome his health battle and was now on the road to "full recovery".

It is not clear how serious Mr Chavez's condition is, but the opposition has questioned whether he is still able to run Venezuela from abroad.

'Fundamental error'

"We have seen our comandante thinner than usual but still standing," Gen Gangel Silva said on Friday.

Continue reading the main story Sarah Grainger BBC News, Caracas

This was a Hugo Chavez clearly weakened by ill health. His desire to speak to the nation was undimmed, but his voice was much weaker than usual and he had visibly lost weight.

The Cuban and Venezuelan authorities have done well to keep this news under wraps for so long. But questions must be asked about whether concealing such information was the right thing to do.

President Chavez addressed the issue by saying he did not want to bring his supporters on what might be an unhappy journey with him.

Venezuelans are still wondering if the president will return to the country in time for bicentennial celebrations scheduled for Tuesday. But in the longer term, his ill health calls into question his chances of being re-elected for another six-year term in 2012.

His time spent recuperating out of the public eye has highlighted how much government is centred on him and how he lacks an obvious successor.

"The truth is he is getting better, he's fine," stressing that there was no threat to Venezuela's constitutional order.

The army chief added that Mr Chavez's recovery was "satisfactory" and he would be home "soon".

Looking much thinner than when he last addressed the nation, Mr Chavez on Thursday confirmed what many had suspected - his health problems were more serious than first thought, says the BBC's Sarah Grainger in Caracas.

Standing behind a podium, the president said he had made the "fundamental error" of failing to look after himself.

Former Cuban President Fidel Castro had first told him he had looked unwell while he was on a state visit to Havana, he added.

Mr Chavez said he underwent a first operation on a pelvic abscess on 10 June, just as officials had informed the Venezuelan public.

But during his recuperation, tests had "confirmed the existence of a tumour with cancerous cells", forcing him to undergo another operation. The extraction of the tumour had been "completely successful", he said.

He added that his condition had been "evolving satisfactorily" while he received a "complementary treatment to combat the different types of cells found, and thereby continue on the path to my full recovery".

Mr Chavez called it a "new battle that life has placed before us", and ended the speech with the revolutionary slogan often used by Mr Castro: "Forever onward toward victory! We will be victorious! Until my return!"

The address was aired by the pan-American channel Telesur late on Thursday. It is unclear when it was recorded. Screen captions indicated that he was speaking from Cuba.

Mr Chavez did not say how much longer he expected to remain in Cuba recovering, but our correspondent says everyone hopes he will be back in Venezuela on Tuesday, when it celebrates 200 years of independence.

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New Chavez footage on Cuban TV

29 June 2011 Last updated at 03:50 GMT The new images show an apparently well Hugo Chavez

New pictures and video footage of Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez have been shown on Cuban state television.

Very little has been seen or heard from Mr Chavez since he had an emergency operation in Cuba on 10 June, prompting speculation about his state of health.

The new images show an apparently well Mr Chavez dressed in a tracksuit in the colours of the Venezuelan flag, chatting animatedly with Fidel Castro.

Cuban TV said the images were taken on Tuesday.

The footage was the lead item on Cuban news. The newscaster described the meeting as "fraternal", but he gave no details about the Venezuelan president's condition.

It showed the two men standing and sitting down as they chatted.

Continue reading the main story

Let these images serve to bring peace to the people of Venezuela regarding the health of President Chavez”

End Quote Venezuelan Communications Minister Andres Izarra The BBC's Michael Voss in the Cuban capital Havana said the footage seemed to be taken in the grounds of the hospital where Mr Chavez had his operation.

Mr Chavez's unexpectedly long absence from Venezuela has prompted debate there on whether he should delegate executive power to his vice-president.

Venezuelan officials have said the surgery was for a pelvic abscess, but there has been speculation in the Venezuelan and foreign press that the president's condition could be more serious.

Uncertain return

"Let these images serve to bring peace to the people of Venezuela regarding the health of President Chavez," Venezuelan Communications Minister Andres Izarra said on state TV.

"To those of you who are speculating over the president's health, there he is... fine, recovering well."

Until the release of the latest images, only one set of photos of Mr Chavez since his operation had been made public.

These showed him flanked by Fidel and Raul Castro - the former and current leader of communist Cuba - who were apparently visiting him in hospital in Havana.

Mr Chavez had also given only one interview - by phone to a Venezuelan-funded television channel, Telesur.

And in the past few days, there have been several messages posted on his Twitter account.

But his output has been noticeably restricted, especially when compared with his normal, frequent appearances in the media.

There is as yet no clear timetable for his return.

But on Sunday, the president of the National Assembly, Fernando Soto Rojas, said Mr Chavez could be back in the country in time for Venezuela's bicentennial celebrations on 5 July.

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Uncertainty over Chavez absence

26 June 2011 Last updated at 06:58 GMT Media were given a picture of Mr Chavez being visited in hospital by Fidel and Raul Castro, but aside from that he has not been since his operation There is growing uncertainty in Venezuela over President Hugo Chavez's health, two weeks after he underwent an operation in Cuba for what the authorities said was a pelvic abscess.

On Friday the Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro said Mr Chavez - who is still in Cuba - was in what he called a "great battle" for his health.

But Vice-President Elias Jaua accused the media of stoking speculation.

"We will have Chavez for a long time!", he said on Saturday.

The normally loquacious Mr Chavez, 56, had been uncharacteristically quiet since apparently undergoing surgery on 10 June in Cuba. He had been visiting the island as part of an international tour.

He had fallen silent after making a telephone call to state media on 12 June to tell them he was recovering quickly, and that medical tests showed no sign of a "malignant" illness.

Mr Chavez is normally a regular user of the micro-blogging site Twitter, but no messages were posted to the site for 19 days until Friday, when fresh tweets began to appear.

They did not directly address the question of his health. The latest tweet sent on Saturday evening said his daughter Rosines had arrived to visit him with his grandchildren.

Press 'rejoicing'

But correspondents say the resumption of tweets will do little to address speculation about the president's health.

He has not been seen - aside from in photos provided to the media showing Mr Chavez being visited by Cuban leaders Fidel and Raul Castro in hospital. And there is little clear indication of when he will return to Venezuela.

President Chavez's mother and brother talked to the public last weekend

Opposition politicians have complained that it is unconstitutional for Mr Chavez to govern from abroad.

And correspondents say his absence has raised the question of who will succeed Mr Chavez, in the absence of any obvious candidate with Mr Chavez's charisma and ability to connect with his supporters.

But on Saturday Vice-President Jaua dismissed the speculation and drew a parallel with the reporting of an attempted coup d'etat in April 2002, when Mr Chavez was ousted from power only to be returned two days later in a triumphant show of popular and military support.

"Chavez is a human being who is recovering to continue the battle," Mr Jaua said.

"The national and international press are rubbing their hands and rejoicing about the state of the president's health, even talking about the president's death, as they did back on April 11," he said - referring to the 2002 coup.

"We tell them and remind them from here, that after April 11, there was an April 13" - the date when Mr Chavez was returned to power.

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