President Chávez continues in stable condition

Ernesto Villegas, the Minister of Communication and Information, reported late on Monday on an obligatory radio and television broadcast that Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez "is in stable condition compared to the situation described in the latest report, when it was informed that Commander Chávez faced a respiratory failure as a result of a lung infection that occurred in the post-operative stage."

Villegas insisted that after the operation for cancer performed on December 11, the Bolivarian Government has mantained ongoing contact with the medical staff treating Chávez and his relatives accompanying him in his post-operative phase in Havana, Cuba.

"The treatment is being applied on an ongoing and strict basis and the patient is assimilating it," said Villegas. He insisted that the Government remains "committed to keeping people informed about the health of Venezuelan president."