The 57-year-old leftist president, in office since 1999, has vowed to overcome cancer to win another six-year term in the Oct. 7 election.
Venezuelan leader returning to Cuba for treatment
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A painting wrapped in plastic of Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez is displayed on an easel on a street in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday March 2, 2012. Chavez has been in Cuba since last Friday to have a growth removed in the same part of the pelvis where a larger, malignant tumor was extracted last year. Chavez said Friday he's recovering quickly from tumor surgery, that doctors have put him on a special diet, and that he's taking daily walks. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)