President Hugo Chávez’s abuse of state resources for his re-election campaign and lack of personal contact with Venezuelans will cost him dearly at the October 7th vote, his opposition rival says.
In an interview on his campaign bus seven weeks ahead of the election, Henrique Capriles (40) contrasted Mr Chávez’s reliance on television appearances with his own tireless criss-crossing of the country.
He said the president’s use of public funds made it a David and Goliath election clash.
The state governor, picked by Venezuela’s opposition parties as their best hope for ending Mr Chávez’s nearly 14-year rule, said the socialist leader’s support was ebbing away.
“I don’t expect a photo finish. We’re going to have a resounding victory,” he said.
However, the Caracas-based Datanalisis poll showed Mr Chávez had 46.8 per cent support compared with 34.2 per cent for Mr Capriles, showing that the president’s lead had narrowed to 12.5 points from 15.3 percentage points in June.