Chavez declares he’s totally free of cancer “our offensive begins right now!”
Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez said on Monday he was fully recovered from cancer, three months before an election in which he is seeking another six-year term. “Free, free, totally free,” he told reporters when asked if he was free of the disease that struck a year ago.
The 57-year-old populist leader was first diagnosed with cancer in the pelvic region in mid-2011. He wrongly declared himself cured at the end of that year before having a recurrence of the disease in February.
But after repeated cycles of treatment in Cuba and Venezuela, Chávez is once again declaring himself fully fit at a crucial time when his health is the main wild card before the Oct. 7 presidential vote.
Perceptions of Chavez’s ability to campaign for the election, and govern afterwards, are crucial among voters in what could be one of Venezuela's tightest elections of recent times.
At a four-hour news conference that offered more evidence of Chávez's increasing energy levels, he promised to begin campaigning on the streets with a series of caravans in provincial Venezuela from Thursday.
“Now is when I'm stepping into action. Our offensive begins right now!” said an ebullient Chávez, who disappeared for long periods during treatment over the last year but has been back dominating Venezuela's airwaves in recent weeks.
“Chávez is back in the street, the Bolivarian hurricane!” he added, referring to his spiritual idol and Venezuela's independence hero, Simon Bolivar.
Despite Chávez's optimism, doctors say it is impossible to be sure someone is completely cured until at least a couple of years have passed since the last recurrence of cancer.
The former soldier is leading most opinion polls by double digits, but one recent survey put him neck-and-neck with opposition candidate Henrique Capriles and up to a third of voters remain undecided.
Capriles, a 39-year-old, centre-left former governor, has been criss-crossing Venezuela on a “house-by-house” tour in a show of youth and energy that the opposition has been using to contrast with the ailing Chávez, 57.
The president, though, who was famous for his whirlwind on-the-street campaigning of the past, appears to be recovering his energy levels just in time.
“Every day, I feel in better physical condition and I strongly believe ... it is not going to be a determining factor in this campaign,” he told reporters. ”I'm a veteran of 100 battles and I feel in great moral, spiritual and physical conditions for this fight that is starting.
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Now it is right that someone can beat cancer, but it takes more than 3 months to 'cure' them, and then a battery of tests over the next year or so to claim that they are 'in remission' or completely free of cancer.
Now there are only 3 ways to get rid of cancer:
1. Surgical removal of the cancerous cells or tumour
2. Radiotherapy
3. Chemotherapy
None of these work very well independently, but as a combination treatment work better.
Given the fact that he has recently had treatment for cancer, it is a little too soon to be claiming that he is 'completely' free of it, unless of course, he didn't have cancer this time, maybe another ailment?
Call me cynical, but Mr Chavez, maybe using his miraculous recovery from illness to get himself re-elected. I mean, according to his followers, he is only one step away from being God, putting him above the Pope. Surely being cured of a deadly disease faster than anyone else in history is proof of that?
It's nothing to do with the UK, but places like Uruguay should worry.
Chavez is a dictator, and the thing about dictators is they get greedy and want more and more. He has already gagged the press in Venezula, in fact it has been made illegal to contradict the government or put forwards other views on government policy, as it is considered to be sedition.
So how can you have democracy when the press is gagged, the opposition threatened and intimidated, and the voting rigged?
Venezula won't be threatening Britain economically, politically or militarily, but if I was their neighbours I'd be wary, especially as you have Argentina on one side (also an unstable country with vote rigging and a de facto dictator in power), and Venezula muscling in on Mercosur from the other, now that Paraguay have conveniently been removed.
Or are you hoping that Chavez will take over your country, Mr 'I'm willing to sell out my country for a failed political ideology' Guzz?
You are a liar, Chavezis no dictator, show me 1 proof of what you are saying.
I can show you several proofs of his democratic elections (with the world observing). I can show you the UN reaffirming Chavez progress in Venezuela, and wondering about his social projects with the intention of reproducing them elsewhere.
I can show you a coup against him where the people put him back to power.
All in all, Blair/Brown/Cameron are all and have been more inclined to dictatorship than Hugo Chavez.
No gagged press, he barely denied to renew the sending rights of a TV station, a TV station that called for a coup on prime time.
Nothreatened opposition, show me proof of the opposite.
No rigged voting, Venezuela has had more elections this past 10 years than any European nation. All their elections are full with international observers, and they report total transparency.
Stop lying
Once struck by cancer it never leaves a person.
Another misinformation.
Cancer can be cured. Problem is if it returns.
Should that happen,it usually comes quick and as metastasis.
Very glad Hugo is back, he has been needed :)
In the last parliamentary election (2005), what percentage of registered voters abstained?
Of course, Conqueror, I'll cut and paste
”In 2007 a number of parties, including the Fifth Republic Movement, merged to create the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), which in January 2009 held 139 of the 169 seats (84%). In the 2010 election, for which the number of deputies was reduced to 165, the PSUV won 96 seats, the opposition electoral coalition Mesa de la Unidad Democrática 65, and Patria Para Todos won 2.”
Regarding the elections 2005, it's not Chavez fault the opposition chose to boycot the elections (a thing they learnt from, and won't repeat again :) )
How many rounds of steroids has he had? Three to my knowledge and the supercharger boost they give makes the patient feel really good, until they HAVE to come off them.
Chavez is exhibiting all the symptoms of steroid use: bloated features, energy returning in spades, confidence growing in his 'cure'. Seen it all before unfortunately.
He will be gone by Christmas.
11
How is he a dictator? Because the majority of his people voted for him? Because the international community states his elections are fair and transparent? or because he held more elections than any European nation this last decade?
he is not transparent...where there is no freedom of speech there is no freedom....read the bill of rights in the US constitution and analyze the first amendment....most of your constitutions were based on ours anyways...
Amen to that. Viva Chavez! Down with the right wing haters who are hoping this good news isn't true
The two most serious defects that I see in his leadership are that he hasn't been able to keep crime within reasonable limts, and he hasn't built up industries other than oil enough. However crime is high relative to USA/UK levels in most of Latin America. I think the second fault is one which could be corrected relatively easily.
Venezuela is definitely a democracy (with some flaws). Open legal opposition parties exist and have substantial representation (although a minority). My guess is that Chavez will easily win reelection.
I have no idea whether he is cancer free or not (he appears to be in remisssion). The statements I often see that chaos would result if he dies in office of natural causes are hard to believe. If Chavez died tomorrow Elias Jaua would be President, I don't think chaos would occur anymore than if a US President dies and is replaced by the Vice-President.
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