Chavez back in Venezuela after treatment for cancer

VENEZUELA’S ever-theatrical President Hugo Chavez made a surprise homecoming yesterday after cancer surgery in Cuba and declared himself “fine” despite speculation he may still require lengthy treatment.

“Here I am, home and happy! Good morning, my beloved Venezuela,” a bubbly Chavez said, punching his fist in the air and singing a folk song after touching down in the early hours.

With their “comandante” back on Venezuelan soil, groups of delirious supporters took to the streets of Caracas within minutes, chanting: “He’s back! He’s back!”

Chavez’s return changes the political dynamics once again in Venezuela, where politicians on all sides had been bracing for a protracted months-long absence of the man who has dominated the OPEC-member nation for the last 12 years.

The famously unpredictable 56-year-old president jetted in just in time for two days of celebrations of Venezuela’s 200th anniversary of independence from Spain.

Many Venezuelans had thought Chavez’s convalescence after two operations last month in Cuba — one to remove a cancerous tumour — would keep him in Havana for weeks, possibly months.

State media showed video footage of Chavez bidding farewell to Cuban President Raul Castro in Havana and then being greeted by ebullient ministers at Maiquetia airport outside Caracas.

“I’m fine. I feel well,” Chavez said.

“I’m back at the epicentre of Bolivar,” he added, in reference to his idol, Simon Bolivar, a hero of Venezuela’s and South America’s fight for independence from Spanish rule.

Despite euphoria among supporters, Chavez’s exact condition remains unclear, and he may still face lengthy treatment in Venezuela. A military hospital was prepared for his arrival.

While not showing anything conclusive about his health, the homecoming does address complaints from critics that Chavez was flouting the constitution and risking national security by ruling from a hospital in a foreign country.

“Chavez did not need to show himself strong, recovering or energetic. He just needed to appear back here to show people he is capable of overcoming all adversity,” analyst Luis Vicente Leon told Reuters. “This apparition may have a magical and motivational effect on his followers.”