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Venezuelan
President Hugo Chavez (L) smiles at a military hospital
in Caracas August 27, 2011. (Credit: Reuters/Miraflores Palace/Handout) |
(Reuters) -
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez ended a third round of chemotherapy on Friday,
saying he "couldn't feel better" as he led a caravan to the
presidential palace cheered on by thousands of supporters.
Wearing a
red beret and an olive green military uniform, Chavez stood up through the
sunroof of a sport utility vehicle and waved to crowds lining the streets after
he completed a cancer treatment session at a Caracas hospital.
"I'm
very motivated, with my soul full of life and my body too," the
57-year-old socialist leader said, adding, "I couldn't feel better."
Chavez
checked into the Military Hospital on Saturday for his latest session of
chemotherapy, instead of traveling to Cuba where he underwent two earlier
rounds.
The
decision to stay at home could be a sign the former soldier is growing more
optimistic about the pace of his recovery before a presidential election next
year.
It also
undermined criticism by the opposition, which had accused him of putting
national security at risk by governing from a hospital bed in Havana during his
previous visits to the communist-led Caribbean island.
During his
treatment in Caracas, Chavez sought to demonstrate he was fully involved in
running the country. He often phoned state TV to comment on current affairs and
update viewers about his routine.
Groups of
Chavez supporters had held vigils outside the hospital, waving portraits of the
former coup leader, singing songs and praying for his swift recovery.
Chavez has
not said what kind of he cancer he has, meaning assessments of his condition,
and the possibility of remission, remain mostly speculation.
He had
surgery in Havana in June to remove a baseball-sized tumor, then returned to
Cuba twice as the guest of his friend and mentor, former Cuban leader Fidel
Castro.
Chavez has
vowed to win a new six-year term in next year's presidential race, which
Venezuela's fractious opposition coalition sees as its best chance to unseat
him since he came to power 12 years ago.
They will
face the biggest test of their unity yet at primary elections in February to
pick a candidate who will face Chavez in the presidential election.
(Additional
reporting by Diego Ore and Mario Naranjo; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Peter Cooney)
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