A man wearing a handcrafted mask depicting the face of Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez attends an event commemorating the violent street protests of 1989 known as the "Caracazo," in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013. The wave of the 1989 violent protests, seen by the Chavez government as a "popular uprising," was in response to the economic measures imposed by then PresidentCarlos Andres Perez. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
A man wearing a handcrafted mask depicting the face of Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez attends an event commemorating the violent street protests of 1989 known as the "Caracazo," in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013. The wave of the 1989 violent protests, seen by the Chavez government as a "popular uprising," was in response to the economic measures imposed by then PresidentCarlos Andres Perez. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
A supporter of Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez wears a headband that reads in Spanish "I am Chavez" during a small gathering of supporters near the military hospital in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013. The government said last week that the country's ailing president was continuing unspecified medical treatments at the military hospital in Caracas. Chavez's sudden return to Venezuela after more than two months of cancer treatments in Cuba has fanned speculation that the president could be preparing to relinquish power and make way for a successor and a new election. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Indigenous supporters of Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez dance around a bonfire during a vigil to pray for Chavez as he remains in a hospital undergoing cancer treatment in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Feb. 22, 2013. Chavez hasn't been seen since he returned to Venezuela on Monday from Cuba, where for 10 weeks he was recovering and fighting complications following his latest cancer surgery Dec. 11. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) ? Venezuela's vice president said Thursday that President Hugo Chavez is fighting for his life while he continues to undergo treatment more than two months after his latest cancer surgery.
Vice President Nicolas Maduro said on television that Chavez "is battling there for his health, for his life, and we're accompanying him."
The vice president has used similar phrasing in the past, saying on Dec. 20 that Chavez "is fighting a great battle ... for his life, for his health."
Chavez hasn't spoken publicly since before his latest cancer operation in Cuba on Dec. 11. He returned to Venezuela on Feb. 18, and the government says he has been undergoing more treatment at a military hospital in Caracas.
Maduro also called for Venezuelans to keep praying for Chavez and to remain loyal to the president. He said Chavez's health had suffered because he had dedicated himself "body and soul" to his work as president.
Chavez himself has previously acknowledged that he was neglecting his health in recent years, often staying up late and drinking dozens of cups of coffee a day.
The president has undergone surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation treatments since June 2011, when he first announced his cancer diagnosis. He hasn't specified the type of cancer or the exact location in his pelvic region where his tumors have been removed.
Associated Press
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