Courtesy of: Woodrow Wilson Center
Opposition candidate Henrique Capriles has taken a lead over President Hugo Chávez in the polls, with less than six weeks remaining until the elections. Many, including the candidate himself, credit the swing to Capriles’ exhausting town-by-town campaign through Venezuela, while Chávez continues to use the government’s power to call mandatory national broadcasts. It appears that the president’s campaign has started to unravel, with several recent gaffes where he was heckled and protested at official events. The status of his cancer still unknown, but not yet entirely healthy, he has launched a new campaign featuring images of an imagined younger version of himself to try to attract the youth vote. Both candidates have also been running extensive social media campaigns, with Capriles focusing on Facebook to try to overcome Chávez’s domination of traditional media. Meanwhile, Chávez’s government has not invited a full observer for the elections, leading to questions about what might happen if the results are contested.
Chavez Trails Rival Capriles for First Time in Poll, Businessweek
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez trailed opponent Henrique Capriles Radonski for the first time in a Consultores 21 poll ahead of elections in October.
Capriles tries to outdo Chavez in display of dynamism, Reuters
Anyone doubting Henrique Capriles’ commitment to a daunting election battle with Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez should take a look at his neck. Or his elbows.
“Abusive” Chavez set for Venezuela vote shock: rival, Chicago Tribune
President Hugo Chavez’s abuse of state resources for his re-election campaign and lack of personal contact with Venezuelans will cost him dearly at the October 7 vote, his opposition rival says.
Venezuela’s presidential campaign: Gaining ground, The Economist
Technical glitches, heckling from his own supporters, thinning crowds and bad polling news. With just over six weeks to go before Venezuela’s presidential election, Hugo Chávez’s bid for another six years in office no longer looks quite the push-over it once seemed.
In Venezuela presidential race, Chavez enjoys advantages in campaign funding, airtime, AP
Opposition candidate Henrique Capriles typically runs his presidential campaign by jogging through Venezuela’s small towns, reaching out to supporters with both hands and climbing aboard the back of a flatbed truck to speak to hundreds of people.
Chávez projects youth ahead of Venezuelan elections, Miami Herald
Hugo Chávez dunking a basketball. Hugo Chávez dancing rap. Hugo Chávez with a teenager haircut, boxing, riding a motorcycle, screaming with joy while doing a wheelie.
Capriles vs Chávez Online: Venezuela’s Social Media Split, AS/COA
In the lead up to Venezuela’s October 7 presidential election, much of the campaign is being waged via social media.
Carter Center Says It Won’t Witness Venezuela Vote, AP
The Carter Center said on Monday that it declined an invitation from Venezuela’s National Electoral Council to have a team at the country’s Oct. 7 presidential election.
Counting on Chávez, Foreign Policy
The state of Hugo Chávez’s health has prompted plenty of speculation and debate across Washington and among the Venezuelan president’s universe of Twitter followers, but for some of his regional friends, the stakes are particularly high.
