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(CNN) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez faces a "complex and difficult" recovery after surgery for cancer, Vice President Nicolas Maduro said Wednesday on national television.

He asked Venezuelans to remain united and pray for Chavez, who had surgery Tuesday in Cuba.

The Venezuelan leader's illness was first reported in June 2011, but the type of cancer has not been revealed. On Saturday, Chavez announced the cancer had returned and he needed the new round of surgery. He had at least two previous operations.

Maduro's emotional address carried a tone different from that of the more upbeat assessment state media offered immediately after the surgery. In that dispatch, state-run Venezuelan Television called the operation a success.

Doctors in Havana, in a six-hour surgery, removed a lesion that had appeared in the same place as previous lesions, Maduro said. Afterward, Chavez was taken to his room to begin his recovery, which will last several days, the vice president said.

"There were complex moments but, fortunately, this giant -- our commander -- again shows us his strength," Maduro said. Chavez was surrounded by relatives and friends, he added.

The Venezuelan government has released few details about Chavez's illness, fueling widespread speculation about his health and political future.

Chavez had surgery in 2011 to remove a cancerous tumor and since then has undergone further surgery and radiation treatment in Cuba. He declared himself cancer-free in July.

Health rumors dogged Chavez on the campaign trail this year but didn't stop him from winning re-election in October.

Over the weekend, Chavez said he wanted Maduro to replace him if "something were to happen that would incapacitate me."

CNN's Rafael Romo contributed to this report.