Havana , Cuba ( CNN ) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is recovering after facing complications during cancer surgery this week , officials said . `` This process of recuperation ... will require a prudent time , as a result of the complexity of the surgical procedure , and also because of complications that came up in the surgery , when bleeding presented itself , requiring the adoption of corrective measures to permit its proper control , '' Information Minister Ernesto Villegas said in a televised address Thursday afternoon . Vice President Nicolas Maduro said doctors had acted quickly to control the unexpected bleeding . Speaking at a rally in northern Venezuela on Thursday evening , Maduro said Chavez 's recuperation had `` evolved from stable to favorable '' but did not provide details about his long-term prognosis . The news drew cheers and thunderous applause from those at the rally , which marked the end of campaigning for Sunday 's regional elections . Officials : Chavez faces 'difficult ' recovery . Chavez , who first announced he was battling cancer in June 2011 , underwent surgery Tuesday in Cuba . He has not disclosed what type of cancer he has , and the Venezuelan government has released few details about Chavez 's illness , fueling widespread speculation about his health and political future . On Wednesday , the officials struck a more somber tone when discussing Chavez 's treatment . The information minister suggested Chavez might not be not be back in Venezuela in time for his scheduled inauguration , which is a month away . Venezuelans `` should be prepared to understand '' if Chavez does n't return to Venezuela before the inauguration on January 10 , Villegas said . `` It would be irresponsible to hide the delicacy of the current moment and the coming days , '' he wrote in a post on the information ministry 's website . The title of his post -- `` Chavez Will Live and Overcome '' -- was similar to many official announcements since Chavez 's illness was announced last year . But the message 's tone was markedly different from previous ones . `` The president is a human being , '' Villegas said . `` He underwent a difficult , complex , delicate operation . And now he is in post-operation , which is also difficult , complex and delicate . '' Maduro said Wednesday that Chavez would face a `` complex and difficult '' recovery after the six-hour surgery . His voice cracked as he asked Venezuelans to remain united and pray for Chavez . On Thursday , the vice president said some had criticized him for delivering the news with such a somber expression . `` Our faces are expressions of pain and worry and the most pure love that we feel for our Commander Hugo Chavez , '' he said . `` He gave us the order to prepare the people for any circumstance . And we have followed that to the letter . '' Chavez has undergone several surgeries and radiation treatment in Cuba in the past year and a half . Read more : Venezuela 's Hugo Chavez emerges from 6 hours of surgery . Health rumors dogged Chavez on the campaign trail this year but did n't stop him from winning re-election in October . Over the weekend , as he prepared for the latest operation , Chavez said he wanted Maduro to replace him if `` something were to happen that would incapacitate me . '' It was the first time since his diagnosis that Chavez had specified a successor . Neither Cuban nor Venezuelan authorities have disclosed where Chavez is being treated . The government in Havana has remained tight-lipped about the treatment of their close ally , who sends Cuba millions of barrels of oil at deeply discounted prices . Many Cubans are worried that Chavez 's illness could mean an end to those generous subsidies . The island 's economy never fully recovered after the Soviet Union cut their huge aid package following the fall of the Berlin Wall . On Tuesday , panelists at a discussion about a new documentary on Chavez in Havana touched upon the leader 's ill health . Venezuela 's military attache to Cuba appeared to tear up as he discussed Chavez 's cancer . `` My commander in chief has been the man to take on problems , '' Col. Eldan Rafael Dominguez Fortty said . `` We have overcome every obstacle , and now with this battle to survive , he will figure that out , too . '' CNN 's Patrick Oppmann reported from Havana , Cuba . CNN 's Catherine E. Shoichet reported from Atlanta .
Venezuela 's vice president says President Hugo Chavez 's recuperation is going favorably . Chavez has asked officials `` to prepare the people for any circumstance , '' he says . Officials : " We are preparing a plan of action that will be implemented in accordance with our constitution and national law. " They have not specified what type of cancer the Venezuelan president is battling .