CARACAS, Dec 19 (Reuters) – Ten years ago when Venezuelan
President Hugo Chavez’s leadership was in serious doubt, the
state oil company embarked on a devastating strike to force him
from office, resulting in a years-long decline in production.

Now, with the world’s 11th largest oil exporter on the brink
of a political transformation if cancer forces Chavez from
power, the odds are the opposite: an extension of “Chavismo”
should keep existing projects on track, while a change in
parties may usher in more foreign capital.

CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez suffered a respiratory infection but is “stable” again in a Cuban hospital following cancer surgery a week ago, the government said on Tuesday.

Chavez, 58, is battling to recover from a fourth operation since he was first diagnosed with the disease in mid-2011.

CARACAS, Dec 18 (Reuters) – Venezuela’s President Hugo
Chavez suffered a respiratory infection but is “stable” again in
a Cuban hospital following cancer surgery a week ago, the
government said on Tuesday.

Chavez, 58, is battling to recover from a fourth operation
since he was first diagnosed with the disease in mid-2011.

CARACAS, Dec 17 (Reuters) – Hugo Chavez’s supporters
dedicated their sweeping regional election win to the absent
Venezuelan president and turned attention back on Monday to his
fight to recover from cancer surgery in Cuba.

Helped by sympathy for Chavez, the ruling Socialist Party
swept the board in Sunday’s vote, winning 20 out of 23 state
governorships in the South American OPEC nation.

CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuelans vote on Sunday in state elections that will define the future of opposition leader Henrique Capriles and test political forces ahead of a possible new presidential vote if Hugo Chavez is incapacitated by cancer.

The vote for 23 state governorships, of which the opposition controls seven, has been overshadowed by the president’s battle to recover from cancer surgery in Cuba.

CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela’s government reacted with fury on Friday to U.S. President Barack Obama’s criticism of ailing Hugo Chavez’s “authoritarian” government at a time of national anxiety over his battle to recover from cancer surgery.

In an interview with U.S. network Univision, Obama declined to speculate on the 58-year-old socialist president’s health in Cuba, where he is in a delicate state after his fourth operation since mid-2011 for cancer in the pelvic region.

CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is in delicate condition after his latest surgery for cancer, the government said on Wednesday in a somber assessment that may indicate an end to his 14-year leadership of the South American OPEC nation.

Looking grave-faced in an address to the nation the day after Chavez’s six-hour operation in Cuba, Vice President Nicolas Maduro urged Venezuelans to unite in prayer for the 58-year-old president and keep faith he would return soon.

CARCAS (Reuters) – Stricken by cancer since mid-2011, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is in delicate condition after undergoing a six-hour operation that the government says was complex and difficult.

Here are some key facts about Chavez:

* Born to a poor family in Venezuela’s plains, or “llanos,” on July 28, 1954, Chavez once aspired to be a painter and then a professional baseball player in the U.S. Major Leagues.

CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is in a “complex” condition and facing a tough recovery after his latest surgery for cancer in Cuba, Vice President Nicolas Maduro said on Wednesday.

Looking grave-faced in an address to the nation, Maduro urged Venezuelans to unite in prayer for their 58-year-old president, and to keep faith that Chavez would return soon.

CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuelans waited anxiously on Wednesday for more details of President Hugo Chavez’s condition in Cuba after cancer surgery deemed successful by the government but still shrouded in secrecy.

Supporters held prayer vigils around the South American nation, while opponents also wished the 58-year-old socialist leader best wishes for a successful recovery.