( CNN ) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez , dogged by widespread speculation about his health , appeared chipper and energetic in a television appearance over the weekend . `` What a lovely breeze , what lovely weather , '' Chavez said Saturday as he opened a meeting with a delegation from Belarus several weeks before President Alexander Lukashenko 's scheduled visit to the South American nation . State-run VTV showed Chavez walking down a long hall with the Belarusian delegation before delivering a speech on the front steps of the palace . For Chavez , a year of health struggles . Facing a row of cameras , the Venezuelan president spoke effusively about his Bolivarian revolution , football , friends and the weather . Live television appearances have long been common for the Venezuelan president , but have dwindled in recent months as he undergoes cancer treatment . On Tuesday , the Venezuelan president spoke for several hours , making no mention of his health , during a cabinet meeting that was broadcast live , . Eleven months after Chavez first announced his cancer diagnosis , Venezuelan officials have released few details about his treatment . Neither Chavez nor anyone in his government have publicly discussed what kind of cancer he has or provided a detailed prognosis for the 57-year-old leader . In May , Chavez said he had successfully completed his latest cycle of radiation therapy . `` This week I have been holed up , working , rigorously following the doctor 's orders to recuperate as soon as possible from the effects of the radiation therapy . And I am recuperating gradually , '' he said in a May 18 telephone interview with VTV . But speculation has continued to swirl about the president 's political future , and for months many have turned to media accounts for information on Chavez 's health . Last week , a report from veteran U.S. television journalist Dan Rather described Chavez 's health situation as `` dire , '' citing an unidentified source 's assessment that the Venezuelan president may not see the final results of the October elections due to the progression of his cancer . `` This reporter has been told that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has metastatic rhabdomyosarcoma , an aggressive cancer that has 'entered the end stage , ' '' Rather said on the website for his HDNet show `` Dan Rather Reports . '' Rather , a longtime CBS News anchor and `` 60 Minutes '' correspondent , said the information came from a `` highly respected source close to Chavez and who is in a position to know his medical condition and history . '' However , Rather said that `` there is only one source for identifying the cancer and the prognosis quoted in the first part of the story . '' He did not disclose the source of his report , which has not been confirmed by CNN . The report -- which also referred to Chavez as a `` dictator '' -- drew swift ire from the Venezuelan government . The next day , the nation 's information ministry distributed an editorial from close Chavez ally Eva Golinger titled , `` Shame on You , Dan Rather . '' `` Dan Rather has always emphasized the necessity of 'courage ' in reporting , yet he shows cowardice and sloppy ambition by racing to publish unconfirmed reports on President Chavez 's health , and by touting slanderous epithets to describe the Venezuelan head of state , '' Golinger wrote . Golinger said Chavez was `` a far cry from being on his 'death bed , ' as Rather implies . '' `` Chavez has cancer , and he is fighting it hard , with the same strength he has used to propel his nation forward , often against the toughest obstacles , '' she wrote . Chavez , who has ruled oil-rich Venezuela since 1999 , is a controversial figure with outspoken , antagonistic views toward the United States . His pro-Cuban , socialist policies are also controversial domestically and have increasingly polarized the nation and national media , according to the Atlanta-based Carter Center , which provided election monitors in the nation 's 2006 presidential elections . Recent polls have offered different assessments of how Chavez 's health could impact Venezuelan voters when they cast their ballots on October 7 . According to the Datanalisis polling firm , Chavez 's popularity stood at about 49 % last year . The pro-government GIS XXI reports that 86 % of the population admires how he has handled his illness and 45.7 % said Chavez 's health had n't affected the national political situation . CNN affiliate Globovision TV reported that polling firm Varianzas , which claims to be independent and has no international affiliation , puts Chavez at a 51.3 % percent lead in the latest polls ahead of his opponent , Henrique Capriles Radonski , who registered a 46.5 % . Varianzas President Rafael Delgado told reporters in May that the October presidential elections will be very close , and trends could quickly change depending on campaigning styles and economic trends .
` ` What a lovely breeze , what lovely weather , '' a cheerful Chavez says . State - run VTV shows Chavez in a long hallway with Belorussian leaders . He begins to swirl about his health and political future . Journalist Dan Brown describes the Venezuelan government 's situation as ` ` dire ''