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| Henrique Capriles, the man trying to topple Hugo Chávez | Henrique Capriles, the man trying to topple Hugo Chávez |
| (12 days later) | |
| The rival who is giving Hugo Chávez his closest run since winning power in 1998 has gained votes in the middle ground thanks to a marathon campaign and a reputation for managerial competence. To his supporters, Henrique Capriles is the best hope to return Venezuela to the political middle ground. To his critics,he is an elitist who is secretly preparing a rightwing agenda. | The rival who is giving Hugo Chávez his closest run since winning power in 1998 has gained votes in the middle ground thanks to a marathon campaign and a reputation for managerial competence. To his supporters, Henrique Capriles is the best hope to return Venezuela to the political middle ground. To his critics,he is an elitist who is secretly preparing a rightwing agenda. |
| The 40-year-old grandson of Holocaust survivors trained as a lawyer and started his political career at 27 when he won a seat in the national congress. It was the start of a rapid rise from mayor to governor to opposition presidential candidate. | The 40-year-old grandson of Holocaust survivors trained as a lawyer and started his political career at 27 when he won a seat in the national congress. It was the start of a rapid rise from mayor to governor to opposition presidential candidate. |
| Like Chávez, he boasts of never having lost an election – and again like Chávez, who was imprisoned after a coup attempt in 1992, he has spent time in jail. He has spent 119 days in prison for his alleged involvement in a violent protest outside the Cuban embassy after a failed coup against Chávez in 2002. The charges against him were dropped, allowing him to return to politics. | Like Chávez, he boasts of never having lost an election – and again like Chávez, who was imprisoned after a coup attempt in 1992, he has spent time in jail. He has spent 119 days in prison for his alleged involvement in a violent protest outside the Cuban embassy after a failed coup against Chávez in 2002. The charges against him were dropped, allowing him to return to politics. |
| Following his time as mayor of Baruta, Capriles ran for governor of Miranda, the second most populous state in Venezuela, surprising everyone by beating Chávez's righthand man, Diosdado Cabello. | Following his time as mayor of Baruta, Capriles ran for governor of Miranda, the second most populous state in Venezuela, surprising everyone by beating Chávez's righthand man, Diosdado Cabello. |
| Even opponents credit him for running a smart, energetic campaign. In deliberate contrast to Chávez – who has been less visible than in previous elections as a result of his cancer - Capriles has zipped around the country, making two rallies a day. Having started off with a relatively low-key, door-to-door approach, he now attracts huge crowds as his "caravan" motorcade of supporters drives through towns and cities. In the biggest rally yet in Caracas on Sunday, he drew hundreds of thousands of supporters on to the streets.Unlike Chávez, he keeps his speeches and appearances short, but his campaign has built momentum since he was chosen in the opposition's first primary elections. | Even opponents credit him for running a smart, energetic campaign. In deliberate contrast to Chávez – who has been less visible than in previous elections as a result of his cancer - Capriles has zipped around the country, making two rallies a day. Having started off with a relatively low-key, door-to-door approach, he now attracts huge crowds as his "caravan" motorcade of supporters drives through towns and cities. In the biggest rally yet in Caracas on Sunday, he drew hundreds of thousands of supporters on to the streets.Unlike Chávez, he keeps his speeches and appearances short, but his campaign has built momentum since he was chosen in the opposition's first primary elections. |
| "Capriles is the result of a democratic process. It is a kind of miracle that all the opposition parties came together to choose him," said Teresa Albanez, who oversaw the process by which he was election. | "Capriles is the result of a democratic process. It is a kind of miracle that all the opposition parties came together to choose him," said Teresa Albanez, who oversaw the process by which he was election. |
| As the representative of a wide range of anti-Chávez forces, including business groups, agriculturalists, trade unionists and greens, he has positioned himself as a centrist. To eat into the vote of the president, he has promised to continue many of the existing wealth distribution and social programmes, but to manage them more effectively. | As the representative of a wide range of anti-Chávez forces, including business groups, agriculturalists, trade unionists and greens, he has positioned himself as a centrist. To eat into the vote of the president, he has promised to continue many of the existing wealth distribution and social programmes, but to manage them more effectively. |
| Capriles told the Guardian he would revise deals to exploit the vast La Faja oil fields, cease buying arms from Russia and rethink ties with Iran. Leftist critics say he is hiding a neoliberal agenda that will see Venezuela reduce the size of government and move closer to the United States. | Capriles told the Guardian he would revise deals to exploit the vast La Faja oil fields, cease buying arms from Russia and rethink ties with Iran. Leftist critics say he is hiding a neoliberal agenda that will see Venezuela reduce the size of government and move closer to the United States. |
| "The US always try to influence our elections. Now they have a candidate linked to their interests," claimed Nicmer Evans, a left-leaning professor of political science at the Central University of Venezuela | "The US always try to influence our elections. Now they have a candidate linked to their interests," claimed Nicmer Evans, a left-leaning professor of political science at the Central University of Venezuela |
| If he wins, Capriles - a staunch Catholic - says the first thing he will do is pay homage to the virgin Mary. He told the Guardian he expects any transition to be difficult but not violent. | If he wins, Capriles - a staunch Catholic - says the first thing he will do is pay homage to the virgin Mary. He told the Guardian he expects any transition to be difficult but not violent. |
| "We have to see who has the disposition to work with us. If the top echelons of government leave, we will talk to the middle ranks. This is what happened to me when I received the governorship. The corrupt previous governor didn't do the handover. We received the Miranda governorship completely dismantled." | "We have to see who has the disposition to work with us. If the top echelons of government leave, we will talk to the middle ranks. This is what happened to me when I received the governorship. The corrupt previous governor didn't do the handover. We received the Miranda governorship completely dismantled." |
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