Venezuela: Chavez And Capriles Formally Register For Presidential Elections
By MISNA
Promising to “fight and win,” Hugo Chavez appeared last night before thousands of supporters in Caracas after his party officially nominated him to run for a third term in the presidential elections scheduled to take place in October. Dressed in the red, yellow and blue colors of the Venezuelan flag, Chavez said that despite the three surgeries performed this year in Cuba, he is in good health and ready to lead the country through the support of the “middle classes”.
The president, reports public broadcaster Tele Sur, delivered his speech in the Central Plaza Diego Ibarra after having submitted the formal application at the offices of the Electoral Commission. Last Sunday, former governor of Miranda State, Henrique Capriles, regsitered his intention to run as the main challenger, supported by an alliance of 30 parties and movements.
According to recent polls, Chavez could be confirmed as leader of Venezuela once again. At the head of state, a proponent of a socialist ”revolution”, Capriles claims to represent a moderate model, embodied by the figure of the former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
