Argentina President Fernandez to have surgery for thyroid cancer

Buenos Aires (Argentina), Dec 28 (ANI): Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner will undergo surgery for thyroid cancer on January 4, a government spokesperson has announced.

Spokesman Alfredo Scoccimarro said that the cancer, which has luckily not spread to other parts of her body, was discovered on 22 December during routine medical tests

Fernandez, 58, recently began her second term as president after a landslide election victory.

She will step aside as president for 20 days until 24 January, with Vice-President Amado Boudou taking over, The BBC reports.

Fernandez is the latest in a series of Latin American leaders to be diagnosed with cancer.

President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, Paraguayan leader Fernando Lugo, and former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva have all been operated on in the past year. (ANI)