Chavez to return soon to Venezuela after more cancer treatment

Carcas, May 8 (Xinhua-ANI): President Hugo Chavez says he will soon return to Venezuela after undergoing more cancer treatment in Cuba to campaign for a third term in office.

Chavez, who spoke late Monday to Venezuelan state TV in a brief phone call, has made no public appearances or comments since he left for Cuba on April 30 for a fifth round of cancer treatment.

Chavez said he is now near the end of radiation treatment and will return home in a few days.

The president criticized his opposition during the phone call, saying it doesn't have any qualified candidates to run against him and is disorganized and has no campaign plan.

With five months remaining before the Oct. 7 election, Chavez compared doing the preparation work to baseball. He said it is important now to improve his organization and gain the ability to lead one inning after another.

He also urged his supporters to fight back against what he termed "U.S.-backed sabotage moves carried out by the opposition."

Chavez had a cancerous tumor removed from his pelvic area in June 2011. He underwent additional surgery in February after the cancer returned and has since made several more trips to Cuba for treatment. (Xinhua-ANI)