Chávez Flies to Cuba for Surgery

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez flew to Cuba again on Friday, this time not simply for cancer treatment but for surgery, after he gave an emotional farewell to his supporters in Caracas. “I will fight for my life,” Chávez told the crowd, which consisted of people both cheering the leader and weeping. Chávez’s illness has thrown into doubt the certainty of the Oct. 7 election, although he has vowed to run again. “With cancer or without cancer, with rain, thunder or lightening, nothing and nobody can prevent the great victory of Oct. 7,” Chávez said. Since taking power in 1998, Chávez has not groomed any successors and even his strongest political opponents lack his charisma. The 57-year-old has said he may need radiotherapy after the surgery to remove a likely malignant lesion.