Courtesy of: @milagrosblue for infoCIUDADANO
With just a month remaining before the presidential elections, Venezuela held a simulated election this weekend to practice before the real vote on October 7. Polls continue to differ in their predictions, but a close analysis shows opposition candidate Henrique Capriles on the rise and president Hugo Chavez in decline. Chavez’s support is likely to decrease further in light of the recent accident at the refinery in Amuay, as evidence points to a lack of proper maintenance as the cause of the explosion, which killed 42. This accident comes amid an already difficult month for Chavez’s government, which could have serious implications for the elections. Meanwhile, Capriles continues his vigorous campaign, trying to contrast himself with the sick Chavez, who has been increasingly absent from public view of late. Chavez’s government has also caused controversy in the campaign by banning an opposition ad that raises awareness about the nation’s crime problem. Meanwhile, the media continues to play puppet to the government in Venezuela, as it has become common for TV personalities to insult Henrique Capriles on-air.
Venezuela holds voting drill before heated presidential election, The Washington Post
Venezuela held a national voting drill Sunday ahead of the country’s October presidential vote, with President Hugo Chavez facing his toughest electoral challenge in more than 13 years in office.
Venezuelan pollsters weigh in on Chávez vs. Capriles battle for president, Christian Science Monitor
There is a little more than a month left to go before the next presidential election in Venezuela and the polls are just as murky as they were in July.
Venezuela oil refinery explosion: will PDVSA learn its lesson?, Financial Times
There’s never a good time for what is now being described as one of the world’s deadliest industrial disasters in recent memory, after a gas leak led to a terrifying explosion at Venezuela’s Amuay refinery.
Refinery Blast Casts Shadow Over Hugo Chavez’s Re-election Bid, Bloomberg
An explosion at Venezuela’s largest refinery that killed at least 48 people and injured dozens on Aug. 25 is threatening to cast a shadow over President Hugo Chavez’s re-election bid.
Venezuela’s Chavez faces new election threats, Miami Herald
It’s been a rough month for Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. In less than two weeks, he has had to deal with a deadly prison riot, a collapsing bridge, flooding, an embarrassing confrontation with steel workers on live TV and the country’s worst oil-industry disaster, which killed at least 41 and still has families digging through the rubble looking for loved ones.
Venezuela challenger Henrique Capriles highlights his vigor, Los Angeles Times
On a campaign visit here last month, presidential candidate Henrique Capriles ran through the streets of beach town Boca del Rio at breakneck speed with hundreds of supporters in tow.
Venezuelan electoral officials order political ad off the air, Chavez opponents cry foul, AP
Venezuelan electoral officials have ordered off the air a political ad that depicts the murder of a young man to highlight concerns about crime.
Insulting Hugo Chavez challenger is prime-time TV in Venezuela, LA Times
It’s prime-time TV in Venezuela and the host is saying that opposition presidential candidate Henrique Capriles, whose grandmother was a Holocaust survivor, is a Nazi and Hitler cultist.
