Hugo Chavez in 'critical' condition in Cuban hospital
Hugo Chavez, the radical left-wing Venezuelan president, is reported to be in a "critical" but stable condition in a Cuban hospital following surgery earlier this month.
It was reported that Hugo Chevez's daughter Rosines, and his mother, Marisabel Rodriguez, were 'urgently' flown to Cuba in an air force plane last week Photo: EPA
4:54PM BST 26 Jun 2011
Speculation about Mr Chavez's condition has been mounting ever since he underwent an operation on June 10, for what his government has said was a pelvic abscess.
He remained uncharacteristically silent after the operation, even as Venezuela was hit by prison riots that killed at least 25 people and an electricity crisis, before messages began to appear again on his Twitter account on Friday.
A US-intelligence source told the Miami-based newspaper El Nuevo Herald that Mr Chavez "is in critical condition; not on the brink of death, but critical indeed, and complicated."
The newspaper said its sources could not confirm rumours that Mr Chavez may be receiving treatment for prostate cancer in Havana.
But it reported that his daughter Rosines, and his mother, Marisabel Rodriguez, were "urgently" flown to Cuba in an air force plane last week.
While other Venezuelan ministers have attempted to dampen speculation by insisting Mr Chavez is recovering well, comments by Nicholas Maduro, the foreign minister, on Friday suggested that the situation may be serious.
"The battle that President Chavez is waging for his health must be everyone's battle: the battle for life, for the immediate future of our fatherland," he said.
Opposition politicians in Caracas have claimed that it is unconstitutional for Mr Chavez, who faces a presidential election next year, to be governing from abroad.
The situation has also led to questions about what would happen if Mr Chavez had to relinquish power, with no potential successor coming close to matching his charisma.
Under Venezuela's constitution, Elias Jaua, the vice president, would take the president's place during "temporary" absences of up to 90 days and would serve the rest of his term if Mr Chavez stepped down or died.
Mr Jaua dismissed such a scenario on Saturday night, saying: "Chavez will be around for a long time."
Mr Chavez was in Cuba on the final leg of a presidential trip that had also included Brazil and Ecuador.
He spoke to state media two days after his operation to say he was well but has only been seen since in photographs issued to the media showing the Cuban leaders Fidel and Raúl Castro visiting him in hospital.
Adan Chavez, the president's brother, has indicated that he will return to Caracas before the presidential summit of the Commonwealth of Latin America and Caribbean on July 5 – the bicentenary of Venezuela's declaration of independence from Spain.
Prof Mark Jones, an expert in Latin American politics at Rice University in Texas, said the delay in Mr Chavez's return invites suspicion, as keeping his condition secret "is much easier to do in authoritarian Cuba than in semi-authoritarian Venezuela".
He added that if Mr Chavez does not return for his country's bicentennial events, "it would be a strong indicator that he is indeed suffering some serious health problems."
Experts said that any attempt to remove Mr Chavez from the presidency on health grounds would require the support of both Venezuela’s Supreme Court and National Assembly, making it extremely unlikely at present given his iron grip on the country.
But if he had to step down, it could lead to a wide open presidential race in 2012 against a backdrop of inflation currently running at 23 per cent, one of the world’s highest murder rates and high levels of corruption.
The US, which imposed sanctions on Venezuela’s state oil company last month, would hope to see a less hostile and more market-friendly candidate for the presidency emerge.
2011-06-26
Hugo Chavez in 'critical' condition in Cuban hospital - Telegraph
via telegraph.co.uk
