Chavez: I Have Cancer

In his first broadcast since undergoing emergency surgery in Cuba early last month, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has revealed that doctors removed a cancerous tumor from his body. The president said he was still undergoing treatment, but did not reveal what the treatment entails, where the tumor was found, or when he will be returning to Venezuela, CNN reports. He did not signal that power would be delegated while his treatment continues.

Venezuela's election next year was already looking like a tight race, and Chavez's illness has shaken up the nation's politics even further, Reuters notes. There is no obvious successor in his Socialist Party, and analysts believe his allies may start bickering if Chavez is absent for much longer. The opposition bloc's likely nominee, Henrique Capriles Radonski, says he wants Chavez to be fit for a fair fight next year. (More Hugo Chavez stories.)