Venezuelan leader names Vice President Maduro as his possible successor, as he prepares to return to Cuba for treatment.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has admitted a relapse of his cancer and designated Vice President Nicolas Maduro as his heir apparent in case "something happened" to him.
Speaking on national television late on Saturday, an emotional Chavez said a return of cancer cells was detected during his most recent visit to Cuba for medical examination, and he would return to the communist-ruled island as early as Sunday for another round of surgery.
"During this thorough examination, they again detected some malignant cells in the same area as before," Chavez said.
He did not offer details, but his cancer was first detected in the pelvic area. Neither the Venezuelan leader, nor his Cuban doctors have ever disclosed what kind of cancer that was.
Chavez admitted he was suffering "somewhat strong" pain and was taking tranquilizers as part of preparation for his upcoming surgery.
He acknowledged that his Cuban medical team had conveyed to him a sense of urgency about the operation, which he said was now "absolutely necessary”.
"The doctor recommended that I undergo surgery yesterday (Friday) at the latest, or this weekend," he noted. "But I did not agree and came back home."
Heir apparent
Chavez returned from Havana on Friday after a 10-day stay in Cuba.
The Venezuelan leader also said that in the event "something happened" and he were incapacitated, Vice President Nicolas Maduro would step in and assume control of the government for the rest of the 2013-2019 term, as required by the constitution.
In what appeared like a presentation of his final will, the president also indicated he would like Maduro to take over the reins of power in a post-Chavez period, urging Venezuelans to vote for him in the next presidential elections.
"You choose Maduro as president of the republic," Chavez told the nation. "I am asking you this from all my heart."
Maduro, who has been serving as Venezuala's foreign minister for the past six years, was appointed vice president in the wake of the October presidential elections. He has held both portfolios since.
Speaking to Al Jazeera from London, Colin Harding, head of the Latin Form, a political consultancy focusing on Latin America, said Chavez is hoping Maduro will be able to continue his “Bolivarian revolution”.
"Maduro is Chavez' closest confidante but he is not anything like Chavez, in the sense that Chavez is a highly charismatic and extremely crowd pleasing figure. Maduro has a rather brooding presence. He was an experienced union leader in the 90s - before that he was a bus driver in Caracas," Harding said.
Chavez made his latest announcement despite frequent assurances on the campaign trail before his re-election in October that he had been cured of cancer.
Recurring bouts of the disease have dogged Chavez's presidency for the past couple of years, requiring him to spend weeks at a time being treated in Cuba. He had a cancerous tumor removed from near his pelvic area last year.