Hugo Chavez faces new surgery

The Associated Press

CARACAS, Venezuela — President Hugo Chavez said Tuesday that doctors in Cuba have found a new lesion in the area where he had cancer surgery last year.

He told state television that he faces a new operation to remove what he said was a lesion of about 2 centimeters (less than an inch).

The announcement throws new uncertainty over the country’s politics because the socialist leader is seeking re-election this year, hoping to extend his 13 years in power.

Chavez underwent surgery in Cuba in June to remove a cancerous tumor from his pelvic region. From July to September, he received four rounds of chemotherapy, both in Cuba and in Venezuela, and he has since said that tests show he is cancer-free.