Venezuela’s Chavez names successor as cancer recurs

Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez returned to Cuba yesterday for more surgery after a recurrence of cancer led him to name a successor for the first time in a sign that ill-health may force an end to his 14-year rule.

Supporters prepared to gather in city squares across the South American country, shocked and saddened by the news from the 58-year-old socialist leader, who made the announcement in a late-night broadcast on Saturday from the presidential palace.

In the clearest indicator yet that Chavez’s health problems could spell an end to his tumultuous years at the helm of the Opec nation, he said supporters should vote for vice president Nicolas Maduro if an election had to be held.