Chavez says ‘totally’ free of cancer, again

CARACAS — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez late Monday declared himself fully recovered from cancer and ready to return to the streets for his re-election campaign ahead of an October vote. “Free, free, totally free,” an ebullient Chavez told reporters when asked if he was free of the disease that struck a year ago. The 57-year-old socialist leader, who has dominated the South American OPEC member since taking power in 1999, was first diagnosed with cancer in the pelvic region in the middle of last year. He wrongly declared himself cured at the end of 2011 and suffered a recurrence of the disease in February. But after three operations in a year and repeated cycles of treatment in Cuba and Venezuela, Chavez is once again declaring himself fully fit at a crucial time when his health is the main wild card before the Oct. 7 presidential vote. — Reuters