Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez says he is recovering from his battle with cancer, and that he will win the country's presidential elections next year.

Mr. Chavez said Wednesday he has “largely recovered” from the disease, beating his chest and stomach to demonstrate his health during televised interviews. However, Mr. Chavez said he will soon undergo a second round of chemotherapy that will likely leave him bald.

The Venezuelan president returned home on Saturday after a week of chemotherapy in Cuba, where he was operated on last month to remove a malignant tumor. The president has not said what kind of cancer was being treated.

Mr. Chavez again insisted on Wednesday that he will be healthy enough to run for presidential elections in 2012, predicting that he was “going to win.” He also dismissed suggestions that he was preparing his brother, Adan, to be his successor.

President Chavez will celebrate his 57th birthday on Thursday. The Associated Press reports that Chavez plans to increase oil production at Venezuela's state oil company by 30,000 barrels a day to celebrate the occasion.