Caracas: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez says he is certain he will pursue his re-election bid next year even though he has cancer.
Chavez says in an interview published in the government newspaper Correo del Orinoco that he hasn't "for an instant thought about withdrawing from the presidency."
He says if there were physical reasons to step down he would do so but that he is pursuing his candidacy "with more strength than before." A poll this month said Chavez's approval rating remains at 50 percent and hasn't significantly varied since his diagnosis.
Chavez completed his first phase of chemotherapy in Cuba last week. He says he will undergo additional phases of chemotherapy treatment.
The interview was published on Monday.
Bureau Report
First Published: Monday, July 25, 2011, 19:33