10 weeks after leaving his country, President Hugo Chávez returned to Venezuela from Cuba on Monday after leaving for cancer surgery. President Chávez, 58, left Venezuela back in December; his absence from his country left its citizen uncertain as to what would become of it and their cherished leader. So, his return to the country was welcomed by Venezuelans who celebrated their beloved leader’s return home.
Back in October, Chávez was re-elected as President of the country but celebrations didn’t last long since he eventually revealed in December that his cancer had returned and he would need to have emergency surgery in Cuba.
Since his departure in December, the country endure an uncertainty regarding whether or not Chávez would still be their President since he was unable to return for the swearing in held in January. In his leave the country has been manned by Vice President Nicolas Maduro and a selection of other government officials.
“We have arrived again in Venezuela. Thank you, my God!! Thank you, beloved people!! We will continue treatment here.” Read a tweet posted on Chávez’s Twitter account.
According to VTV, the television station of the government, Chávez returned in the early hours of the morning and was taken to a military hospital in Caracas.
Since his diagnosis, Chávez has made numerous trips to Cuba for treatment. His return from Cuba was always broadcasted for the Venezuelan people to see he was back. However, this time the government nor Chávez himself televised his arrival or released anything else about his return. The quiet return may be due to Chávez have a breathing tube in his throat which will make it difficult for him to speak.
On Friday, government officials did release photographs of Chávez. The photos were first images of the President after his surgery and showed him lying in a hospital bed accompanied by his two daughters.
In a morning phone call to the government televisions station Vice President Maduro said, “We are very happy. He is an example of permanent battle, and we have him in Caracas, in our Caracas, in our Venezuela, here he is, our commander.”
While it appears he is in seclusion recuperating, Chávez is bound to make his public reappearance since officials close to the President report his recovery is going smoothly.
