Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez returned to Venezuela on Monday after cancer surgery in Cuba and declared himself "fine" despite speculation he may still require lengthy treatment.
Elated supporters took to the streets within minutes of his arrival, chanting: "He's back! He's back!"
The famously unpredictable 56-year-old president jetted in just in time for two days of celebrations of Venezuela's 200th anniversary of independence from Spain.
Many Venezuelans had thought Chavez's convalescence after two operations last month in Cuba - one to remove a cancerous tumor - would keep him in Havana for weeks, possibly months.
Politicians on all sides had been bracing for a protracted months-long absence of the man who has dominated the nation for the last 12 years.
State media showed video footage of Mr Chavez bidding farewell to Cuban President Raul Castro in Havana and then being greeted by ministers at Maiquetia airport outside Caracas.
The president's exact condition remains unclear, and he may still face lengthy treatment, throwing into question his ability to prepare for a 2012 re-election bid.
