Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has
arrived in Cuba, where he had months of cancer therapy, for further medical
treatment.
Chavez, who was re-elected in October,
is due to be sworn in for a third term in January, reports the BBC.
In a letter to the National Assembly,
Chavez said he needed further therapy to recover from this year's "tough
electoral campaign".
In May he declared himself free of
cancer.
There is no indication in his letter
that the cancer has returned.
But the opposition has called for
transparency about his health and the nature of his treatment in Cuba.
"This secrecy always leaves
doubts about how much truth there is in the government's statements," said
opposition politician Ramon Guillermo Aveledo.
No photos or footage of the
president's departure or arrival have been released.
Chavez, 58, was first diagnosed with
an undisclosed cancer in June 2011.
He has since had repeated surgery in
Cuba, but finished his treatment there earlier this year.
In his letter to the National Assembly
on Tuesday, Chavez said he was returning to Havana following medical advice.
"Six months after I had the last
session of radiotherapy, I have been advised to begin a new special treatment,
with several sessions of hyperbaric oxygen therapy and physiotherapy,"
says the letter.
The treatment is aimed at continuing
to "consolidate recent health improvements," he added.
The left-wing president was first
elected in 1998.
During the electoral campaign, he
dismissed rumours that he had not been cured of his cancer, and vowed to serve
out his six-year term.
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