“I’m happy... I’m going to get some rest,” a bubbly-sounding Chavez told state TV by telephone after touching down in the early hours of Monday morning.
Chavez’s return changes the political dynamics once again in Venezuela, where politicians on all sides had been bracing for a protracted months-long absence of the man who has dominated the OPEC member nation for the last 12 years.
In a classic piece of Chavez theatre, the president jetted in just in time for two days of celebrations of Venezuela’s 200th anniversary of independence from Spain.
State media showed video footage of Chavez bidding farewell to Cuban President Raul Castro in Havana and then being greeted by ebullient ministers at Maiquetia airport outside Caracas.
“I’m back at the epicentre of Bolivar,” Chavez said, in reference to his idol Simon Bolivar, a hero of Venezuela’s and South America’s fight for independence from Spanish rule.
Vice President Elias Jaua called on supporters to go to the presidential palace in the afternoon to give Chavez, 56, a welcome reception.
Despite euphoria among supporters, Chavez’s exact condition remains unclear, and he may still face lengthy treatment in Venezuela. A military hospital was prepared for his arrival.
The homecoming addresses complaints from critics that he was risking national security by ruling from a hospital in a foreign country.