Chavez Twitter Messages Say he Will Survive Cancer

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez assured supporters in a flurry of Twitter messages from Cuba Saturday that he was recovering well from surgery to remove a potentially cancerous lesion.

He underwent surgery on the same area of his pelvis where a cancerous tumor was removed last June.

His social network messages Saturday to government officials and others in the states of Apure, Tachira and Miranda assured them he would recover quickly.

"Greetings my dear Vice President Elias," Chavez wrote to Vice President Elias Jaua, who was visiting flower growers. After commenting on Venezuela's "beautiful flowers," Chavez ended by writing, "We will live and overcome."

He sent a message through his Twitter account @chavezcandanga to Venezuela's "children's brigades" that said, "Keep making that wonderful example of the socialist homeland."

Chavez's health has become a significant issue in Venezuelan politics as he runs for a third term of office.

So far, Chavez has refused to withdraw from the election scheduled for October 7 or to delegate power to his vice president during his recovery.

He has not said whether the lesion removed on Monday is malignant, but did say before the operation that the risk of malignancy was high.

Chavez is running for re-election against Henrique Capriles Radonski, a moderate former governor chosen in heavily attended primaries to represent the opposition.