Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said that he will leave Cuba to return to Caracas on Thursday, after receiving radiotherapy treatment on the island, following a third surgery to remove a malignant tumor.
Chavez, 57, contacted Venezuela by telephone via the VTV state television channel, while the president of the National Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, was heading the regular weekly press conference of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV).
Meanwhile, Chavez garnered more than 50 percent of the voting intentions, ahead of the general elections on October 7, according to a recent poll conducted by the Hinterlaces agency.
According to the survey, youngsters and the least well-off sectors are those who support the Venezuelan leader.
Despite rumours about his health generating anxiety and fears about Chavez’s ability to govern, the study “Monitor Country-election in April 2012” found that 53 percent of Venezuelans would vote for him if the election were held today, reported the Argentinean news agency TELAM on its website.
The poll showed that 34 percent would vote for Henrique Capriles, the opposition candidate.
According to these results, Chavez has a comfortable19-point lead, confirming that the majority of the people of Venezuela are relying on Chavez’s recovery and his ability to continue to govern.
The survey asked about concern for the poor and 65 percent said that Chavez is more concerned with the less well off, while 22 percent chose Capriles.
The poll also found that the current president retains the support of most of the young voters: 55 percent of respondents aged 18 to 34-years-old said they would vote for him.
The study also found that 66 percent of respondents approve the president’s job performance, and two out of three consider that his perfomance has been “fair to good”, “good” or “very good or excellent.”
The data were provided by Oscar Schemel, director of Hinterlaces, and released by the Venezuelan News Agency.
