In this photo released Friday, Feb. 15, 2013 by Miraflores Presidential Press Office, Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, center, poses for a photo with his daughters. (AP Photo/Miraflores Presidential Press Office)
In this photo released Friday, Feb. 15, 2013 by Miraflores Presidential Press Office, Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, center, poses for a photo with his daughters. (AP Photo/Miraflores Presidential Press Office)
By IAN JAMES | AP
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela's government showed the first photos of ailing President Hugo Chavez in more than two months on Friday, presenting images of him smiling alongside his daughters in Cuba.
Chavez is propped up on what appears to be a bed in the photos, a blue pillow behind his head. His face appears puffy, but he is smiling broadly, while his daughters Rosa and Maria lean in close to him.
In other images, Chavez is shown looking at Thursday's issue of the Cuban Communist Party newspaper Granma, his daughters still flanking him. The photos were shown on television by Chavez's son-in-law, Science and Technology Minister Jorge Arreaza.
The government released the images amid widespread speculation and rumors in Venezuela about Chavez's condition following his Dec. 11 cancer surgery. Chavez hasn't been seen or directly heard from since he left for Cuba on Dec. 10, in contrast to previous stays for medical treatment in Havana.
Information Minister Ernesto Villegas said Friday that Chavez is breathing through a tracheal tube that makes it difficult for him to speak. Government opponents have been demanding more information about Chavez's condition, and have been asking why he hasn't spoken to the nation to explain his condition.
Vice President Nicolas Maduro has traveled repeatedly to Havana, and Maduro has shown on television documents signed by Chavez. On Wednesday, Maduro said that Chavez is now undergoing "extremely complex and tough" treatments, which he didn't specify.
Medical experts consulted by The Associated Press have said the government's recent account of "systemic medical treatment" could mean various types of chemotherapy or drug treatments, depending on the type of cancer.
The 58-year-old president has been undergoing cancer treatment in Cuba on-and-off since June 2011. He has had tumors removed from his pelvic region, and has also undergone prior rounds of chemotherapy and radiation treatment.
Since December, the government has provided regular updates, though there have been fewer updates in recent weeks, and often with only vague descriptions of Chavez's condition.
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In this photo released Friday, Feb. 15, 2013 by Miraflores Presidential Press Office, Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, center, poses for a photo with his daughters. (AP Photo/Miraflores Presidential Press Office)
In this photo released Friday, Feb. 15, 2013 by Miraflores Presidential Press Office, Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, center, poses for a photo with his daughters. (AP Photo/Miraflores Presidential Press Office)
