CARACAS: The rumor mill over the health of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is again spinning wildly as cancer-related treatment forces the leftist anti-US firebrand to skip another international summit.
Chavez, 58, has repeatedly claimed to have beaten an unspecified cancer in his pelvic region that was diagnosed in 2011 and shrugged off his illness to see off a unified opposition and secure another six-year term on October 7.
Weeks after his hard-fought re-election, Chavez said that "God willing" he would attend Friday's Mercosur summit and preside over Venezuela's hotly-anticipated debut outing as part of the group, which it joined in July.
But on Thursday, hosts Brazil announced that the bombastic and once-omnipresent Venezuelan leader would have to forego the gathering as he is still in Cuba receiving treatment to help his recovery.
Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro, who was also promoted to vice president after the election, will take Chavez's place alongside the leaders of Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay in the meeting of the South American trading bloc.
Chavez had a cancerous tumor removed from near his pelvic region last year, but the government never disclosed the type or severity of the cancer, and in July of this year he claimed to be cancer-free.
Chavez, who has been in power since 1999 and gained global prominence as an anti-American firebrand, appeared weak and subdued during the presidential campaign, but still managed to win another term that extends to 2018.
He was last seen in public November 15, and two weeks later he went to Cuba for treatment, having said prior to his trip that he was cured.
The serial tweeter hasn't fed his 3.7 million Twitter followers anything since November 1.
Social media and the press are sizzling with speculation over his condition.
Over the last year and a half, Chavez has missed practically every regional meeting he was to have attended, such as the Summit of the Americas, in Colombia, or last month's Ibero-American summit in Cadiz, Spain.
The government is keeping mum, showing how secretive it is about the health of the endlessly loquacious and populist leader who dominates the country with the world's largest proven oil reserves.
No date has been given for Chavez's return from Cuba and his absence is beginning to overshadow key regional elections scheduled for December 16.
Unlike other trips to Cuba, this time Chavez did not make farewell remarks or hold a carefully choreographed photograph opportunity.
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