Chávez breaks silence, says governing Venezuela

President Hugo Chávez broke a week-long silence on Monday to deny he had left Venezuela rudderless during his cancer treatment in Cuba and to promise a resounding re-election win in October.

"I'm governing - fulfilling my duties as head of state - but in this unique situation which I will be out of in the next few days, and then soon I will be back there," Chávez told state TV in a brief phone call, his voice sounding firm and energetic.

Chávez's normally ubiquitous media presence had slowed to a trickle of Tweets in recent days. He had not made any live contact with state media in the week since a public appearance last Monday before leaving for Cuba to receive treatment.

That had fanned criticism that he was no longer properly running the country and spurred unprecedented talk of a successor to the former soldier, who during 13 years in power has avoided cultivating a protege who could replace him.

But Chávez insisted he was still in charge of government and would be back home soon to start mulling his re-election campaign.

"The opposition are never going to win any elections in Venezuela, ever again, we are going to give them a resounding knockout," he said.

"I am governing with my full faculties."

Chávez's health is treated as a state secret.

He has had three operations since last June, including one that removed a baseball-sized tumor. But government leaders have refused to divulge details about his condition.

He is supposed to have completed the last of five radiotherapy sessions, but the unusual silence had fanned speculation his condition was getting worse, possibly fatal.