Venezuelan government says Hugo Chavez suffered complications from surgery, but recovering

(Fernando Llano/ Associated Press ) - A woman holds a trio of images showing Venezuelan St. Jose Gregorio Hernandez, top, renowned as the ``Doctor of the Poor’’; a laminated holy card of Jesus Christ; and an image of Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez, right, at a church service where supporters of the ailing president gathered to pray for his health, in Caracas,Venezuela, Thursday, Dec. 13, 2012. Venezuelans were warned that Chavez may not be well enough after his fourth cancer-rted surgery in Cuba to be inaugurated on Jan. 10.

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By Associated Press, Published: December 13

CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez suffered bleeding during his cancer surgery in Cuba that required “corrective measures” to stanch the flow, his government said Thursday.
But in the latest of a series of unusually frank reports about the president’s delicate condition, Information Minister Ernesto Villegas also said Chavez has been making a “progressive and favorable” recovery after the complications from Tuesday’s surgery.

“This recovery process, nevertheless, will require a prudent period of time as a consequence of the complexity of the surgery performed,” Villegas added.
The government has begun providing regular updates on the president’s recovery after the six-hour surgery in what appears to be a slight easing of the secrecy that has surrounded Chavez’s medical treatment since he fell ill last year.
The latest details about Chavez’s health came as supporters held church services to pray for him and as Venezuelans increasingly acknowledged that their country might be on the verge of political change if the leftist leader cannot be sworn in for his fourth term early next year.
One-man rule has been the glue that has held together Chavez’s socialist movement, and he hadn’t groomed any clear successor until he announced over the weekend that if cancer cuts short his presidency he wants his vice president, Nicolas Maduro, to take over.
Some Venezuelans say they think battles over power may already be brewing within the president’s diverse “Chavismo” movement, which includes groups from radical leftists to moderates. Maduro heads a civilian political wing that is closely aligned with Cuba’s communist government. National Assembly President Diosdado Cabello, a former military officer, is thought to wield power within the military.
“In politics, everything is possible,” said Gustavo Chourio, a bookseller in downtown Caracas. “Maduro doesn’t have influence with those in the military. Diosdado has the influence.”
Throughout Chavez’s nearly 14-year government, egos and political differences have largely taken a back seat as his allies have followed him and parroted his stances. Chourio said he believes the president’s movement will live on without him because it has grown strong, but he predicted Maduro and Cabello will have to reckon and deal with each other.
“Those two will have to work it out to guarantee the country’s stability and the continuation of the process,” said Chourio, a longtime Chavez supporter.
Some analysts say struggles for control seem inevitable.
“What’s likely to happen is a power struggle between Maduro and Cabello,” said Michael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue think tank in Washington. “It is almost certain that an intense power struggle is already under way within Chavismo.”
Shifter said key protagonists in the president’s camp, including Maduro and Cabello, have long had to suppress their own personal ambitions and leave all decision-making to Chavez.
“With Chavez no longer on the scene, and the power vacuum exposed, the situation becomes extremely unpredictable,” Shifter said. “The fact that Maduro is Chavez’s designated successor gives him the upper hand for the time being, but that is unlikely to last long. The others vying for power are wily and ruthless. From the outset, the Chavez regime has been about power — including lots of money — and now all of that is up for grabs.”