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With no heir-apparent to Venezuela's presidency waiting in the wings, politicians are jockeying for power as President Hugo Chavez undergoes medical treatment in Cuba, analysts said.

The Venezuelan leader has kept a notably low profile in the nearly three weeks since officials first announced that doctors operated on him, sparking rampant speculation about his health and the country's political future.

His revelation Thursday night that doctors in Cuba had removed a cancerous tumor is likely to further fuel dissent in the ranks of Chavez's supporters, one former Venezuelan official said.

"The main conflicts are inside the Chavez forces, with different factions, over who is going to be the successor," said Moises Naim, a former Venezuelan trade minister who is a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Chavez said Thursday night that he had remained in close contact with Venezuelan leaders and continued to command the country's government from Havana. He said he was still undergoing treatment, adding that his condition was "evolving satisfactorily."

Appearing live on state television shortly after Chavez's speech, Venezuelan Vice President Elias Jaua called for unity.

"There is no time for sadness, but time for reflection, for courage and for work," he said, standing beside a group of government ministers.

But some analysts said Chavez's illness has already transformed the public's perception of his government, no matter how his treatment proceeds.

"Here's a guy who was the strongman, and this has exposed some real frailty," Inter-American Dialogue President Michael Shifter said before Chavez's speech. "Even if he's recovered and comes back, this still showed that he's mortal."

Chavez said Thursday night that he was continuing treatment in Cuba, but did not specify what that treatment entailed, where the cancerous tumor was located or when he would return to Venezuela.

Naim said the small amount of information Chavez released in his speech could have a large political impact.

"He has cancer. He has more treatment. ... So the notion that we have Chavez for an almost indefinite period is no longer a reality," Naim said. "The notion of a Venezuela without Chavez is now in the minds of millions of people that never imagined it."

But until recently, few had considered the possibility that Chavez would leave office, Shifter said.

"There's no plan for succession," he said. "This is not something that's been considered or discussed."

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