Argentina's President undergoes cancer surgery

Cristina Fernandez in Uruguay just before Christmas (Reuters)

Supporters of Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner waited anxiously outside her hospital yesterday for word on the results of surgery to remove a cancerous thyroid gland.

Ms Fernandez, 58, was found to have papillary thyroid carcinoma shortly after beginning her second term as leader. Pre-operative tests suggested it had not spread beyond her thyroid, so the condition should be curable, doctors said. Ms Fernandez handed the reins of power to the Vice-President, Amado Boudou, before the operation, and he will remain in charge while she takes medical leave.

Her supporters gathered outside the Hospital Austral in Pilar, north of Buenos Aires, waving flags and carrying handmade signs. Many carried pictures of Ms Fernandez and her late husband, the former President Nestor Kirchner, who died of a heart attack in 2010.