Chávez recovering after cancer surgery CARACAS - Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez was recovering in Cuba on Tuesday after an operation targeting an aggressive cancer that has defied multiple treatments and has prompted the socialist leader to name a political successor. Nicolas Maduro, the vice-president, spoke on Venezuelan television after the surgery, saying the operation was "complex" but was completed "correctly and successfully." Mr Maduro made the announcement flanked by Mr Chávez's aides and military commanders. He then led an outdoor vigil where the president's supporters joined hands in prayer and sang along with a recording of Mr Chávez singing the national anthem. Addressing Mr Chávez on television, Mr Maduro said: "We're waiting for you here." It was the fourth cancer-related operation that Mr Chávez has undergone since June 2011. Three days before the surgery, Mr Chávez had announced that he needed to have surgery again after tests showed "some malignant cells" had reappeared in the same area of his pelvic region where tumours were previously removed. During the surgery, close Chávez ally Tareck El Aissami said on television: "Everything is going well." Some government supporters held a prayer meeting in a Caracas plaza while the surgery was under way, joining hands and singing hymns. Some held up posters of the president as they sang. "We ask God, to allow him to live," said Carmen Romero, who participated in the gathering. On the streets of Caracas, Venezuelans on both sides of the country's deep political divide voiced concerns about Mr Chavez's condition and what might happen if he ultimately does not survive his illness. "It's difficult to think about Venezuela without Chávez," said Rafael Perdomo, a mechanic who has supported the president since 1998, when he first ran for the presidency. I fear that we, the poor, could lose everything if Chávez dies. Mr Chávez has said for the first time that if his illness cuts short his presidency, Mr Maduro should take his place and be elected president to continue on with his socialist movement. But Mr Perdomo said he does not trust the vice-president the way he trusts Mr Chávez. Others Venezuelans said that while they are sorry about Mr Chavez's health situation and wish him the best, it is not a particular concern for them. Many were out buying Christmas gifts and shopping for food as they prepared for the holiday season. "I'm sorry about what is happening to the president, but for many of us life goes on," said Maria Colmenares, a housewife and opposition supporter, as she left a supermarket with bags of groceries and stood on a street corner waiting for a taxi. "I feel pity for Chávez and his people, especially the Chavistas because they have put all their hopes in the president and they know that nobody is capable of replacing Chávez," Ms Colmenares added. None of Chavez's collaborators have his charisma. Mr Chávez received a flurry of get-well messages from leaders across Latin America, including the presidents of Chile, Peru and other countries. Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa, who visited Mr Chávez in Havana on Monday, said his ally was undergoing a "very delicate operation." He's passing through one of the hardest moments of his life. Our heart and our solidarity are with a historic president," Mr Correa said at an event Tuesday in the Ecuadorean city of Tulcan. Mr Chávez had said the surgery would present risks. But afterward Mr Maduro said that Mr Chávez had been moved to a room to recover and begin "special treatments." Those sending messages of support to Mr Chávez ahead of the operation included American actor Sean Penn, who joined a Monday night candlelight vigil in Bolivia organised by the Venezuelan embassy. He wore a track suit emblazoned with the colours of Venezuela's flag, just like one that Mr Chávez has worn. He is one of the most important forces we've had on this planet. And I will wish him nothing but that great strength he has shown over and over again," the actor told a crowd at the vigil, his voice quavering with emotion. He called Mr Chávez "inspiring." Throughout his nearly 14-year-old presidency, Mr Chávez has been loved by some Venezuelans and reviled by others as he has nationalised companies, crusaded against US influence and labelled his enemies "oligarchs" and "squalid ones." Some Venezuelans said they are concerned about the political upheaval if Mr Chávez eventually dies in office. "Many people don't dare to say it, but they want Chavez's death," said Omar Mendez, a shopkeeper who said he supports neither Mr Chávez nor the opposition. I would say something to those people: They should think hard about the consequences if Chávez does not survive this terrible illness because Chavez's death could bring about an unprecedented political crisis. The 58-year-old president won re-election in October and is due to be sworn in for a new six-year term on Jan. 10. If Mr Chávez were to die, the constitution says that new elections should be called and held within 30 days. Mr Chávez said on Saturday that if such a vote were held, his supporters should elect Mr Maduro to take his place. While speaking at a political rally on Monday, Maduro wiped away tears while referring to Mr Chávez. "Even beyond this life, we're going to be loyal to Hugo Chávez,"" he said. Venezuela's president first announced he had been diagnosed with cancer in June 2011. He underwent a surgery for a pelvic abscess, and then had a baseball-sized tumour removed from his pelvic area. In February, he underwent another surgery when a tumour reappeared in the same area. He has also undergone months of chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Throughout his treatments in Cuba, Mr Chávez has kept secret some details of his illness, including the exact location and type of the tumours. Mr Chávez had previously said in July that tests showed he was cancer-free. But he said over the weekend that a new round of tests in Cuba had again found cancerous cells.