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Havana, Cuba (CNN) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is recovering after facing complications during cancer surgery this week, officials said.
"This process of recuperation ... will require a prudent time, as a result of the complexity of the surgical procedure, and also because of complications that came up in the surgery, when bleeding presented itself, requiring the adoption of corrective measures to permit its proper control," Information Minister Ernesto Villegas said in a televised address Thursday afternoon.
Vice President Nicolas Maduro said doctors had acted quickly to control the unexpected bleeding.
Speaking at a rally in northern Venezuela on Thursday evening, Maduro said Chavez's recuperation is "evolving in a favorable way."
The news drew cheers and thunderous applause from those at the rally, which marked the end of campaigning for Sunday's gubernatorial elections.
Officials: Chavez faces 'difficult' recovery
Chavez, who first announced he was battling cancer in June 2011, underwent surgery Tuesday in Cuba.
He has not disclosed what type of cancer he has and the Venezuelan government has released few details about Chavez's illness, fueling widespread speculation about his health and political future.
On Wednesday, the officials struck a more somber tone when discussing Chavez's treatment.
The information minister said Venezuelans "should be prepared to understand" if Chavez doesn't return to Venezuela before January 10, when he is scheduled to be inaugurated for a new term as president.
"It would be irresponsible to hide the delicacy of the current moment and the coming days," Villegas wrote in a post on the information ministry's website.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/13/world/...vez/index.html