Chavez headed to Cuba

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said he will travel to Cuba on Sunday to undergo a thorough medical exam after multiple chemotherapy visits to treat his cancer. Before traveling, "I wanted to make some decisions with my ministers and Vice President Elias Jaua, sign some things," Chavez told official VTV television. The firebrand leftist leader had previously indicated he would receive the checkup in Cuba on Monday to confirm there are no malignant cells in his body. He vowed to inform the Venezuelan people of the results of the "vigorous" tests. "We don't want to rush anything... Everything in its time," Chavez said, though adding he wanted to pick up the pace of work he was used to before being diagnosed in June. Chavez has undergone four rounds of chemotherapy since an operation, but little information has been provided about the nature of the cancer, raising uncertainties about the state of his health. He has kept the exact nature of his illness shrouded in secrecy ever since having a cancerous tumor removed on June 20 in Havana, with officials saying the tumor was taken out of the president's "pelvic area," but providing no other details. Chavez has been in power since 1999 and has maintained that he will recover in time to win re-election in 2012.