Chávez returns to Havana for final radiotherapy session.
Five months before the presidential elections, the president of Venezuela travels to the Cuban capital to undergo the final radiotherapy session of his cancer treatment.
Agency Brazil - Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez returned to Havana, Cuba, today (1st) to, according to him, undergo the last radiotherapy session of his cancer treatment. He was received by Cuban President Raúl Castro. Despite criticism from the opposition, which is against Chávez governing Venezuela from Cuba, the National Assembly (the Venezuelan Parliament) approved the trip to Havana. Chávez had been in Caracas since the 27th, after spending 11 days in Havana.
Yesterday (30), Chávez said he was returning to Cuba “to continue the final stretch” of treatment. “I hope in a few weeks to play a football match and be back walking the beloved streets of the homeland, the beloved fields of Venezuela,” he said. “These days have not been easy. But, as warriors that we are, we will face adversity with faith in God, in Christ the Redeemer and in the immense love of the Venezuelan people, with the will to fight, live and win.”
Before traveling to Cuba last night, Chávez signed the new Organic Labor Law. The new rules include double severance pay for unjustified dismissal, a maximum 40-hour work week, and the elimination of outsourcing.
Venezuela's state television broadcaster, VTV, released images of Chávez at Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía, shortly before boarding the presidential plane that took him to Cuba.
Chávez was accompanied by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Nicolás Maduro, of Communication and Information, Andrés Izarra, and the Governor of Vargar state, Jorge Luís Garcia Carneiro.
At 57 years old, Chávez is battling a recurring cancer in his pelvic region. Details about the type of cancer and treatment are not being provided by either Venezuelan or Cuban authorities. On February 26th, in Havana, the Venezuelan president underwent surgery. In June 2011, he had already undergone surgery to remove a tumor, also in his pelvic region.
In his reelection campaign, Chávez is trying to win the election scheduled for October 7th, facing the opposition candidate, the governor of Miranda state, Henrique Capriles Radonski. In power since 1999, the president is trying to prevent his cancer treatment from interfering with the election campaign.