http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AP_LT_VENEZUELA_ELECTION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-10-07-22-40-12
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- Venezuela's electoral council says President Hugo Chavez has won re-election, defeating challenger Henrique Capriles.
National Electoral Council president Tibisay Lucena says that with most votes counted, Chavez had about 54 percent of the vote.
It was Chavez's third re-election victory in nearly 14 years in office. The victory gives Chavez another six-year term to cement his legacy and press more forcefully for a transition to socialism in the country with the world's largest proven oil reserves.
As World Awaits Venezuela Presidential Results, Tanks Enter Caracas
Update: HUGO CHAVEZ WINS VENEZUELA RE-ELECTION, ELECTORAL COUNCIL SAYS. Contrary to exit polls as noted earlier, Chavez won 54.4% of the vote, with 90% of the votes counted, and a 80.4% turnout, according to the Electoral Council. At least the local APCs are fully stocked on Whoppers for the next few days.
While the world awaits with bated breath to find out if Hugo Chavez has lost the first "presidential" election in 14 years (an outcome with major implications for the crude market), which according to the latest exit polls he was trailing 48.1% to 51.3% to challenger Henrique Capriles, Diebold post-processing and hanging chad pro forma-ing notwithstanding, the question is what happens if there is a peaceful overthrow at the helm of the Latin American commodities powerhouse. And we use the term "peaceful" loosely: because the twitter stream is currently abuzz with a picture of tanks in Venezuela's capital as seen below. Hopefully they are merely waiting in line at the drive thru for the latest BK value meal and nothing more.
And since everyone knows what Hugo Chavez (who recently took possession of the country's LBMA gold stash, perhaps rather prudently) looks like, here is what Venezuela's next leader may very well look like if Caracas has not figured out how to operate the Diebold machines yet.
More from Reuters.
Venezuela's presidential election looked headed for a close finish on Sunday with Hugo Chavez facing an unprecedented challenge to his socialist rule from a young rival tapping into discontent over crime and cronyism.An energetic campaign by centrist state governor Henrique Capriles, 40, has united the opposition and turned him into its best chance in 14 years to unseat the popular president and take the reins of South America's leading oil exporter.Chavez has used record oil revenue to support ideological allies around the world while preaching a fiercely anti-Washington line, so the election is being watched eagerly from the United States to Belarus and Iran.Polling stations closed at 6 p.m. local time (2230 GMT), except for those that still had voters waiting in line.Sources on both sides predicted a narrow victory based on their own monitoring. Several unofficial exit polls gave divergent results, but all showed a tight finish."I urge the country to be calm and patient," Chavez said in a phone call to his campaign headquarters. "Nobody should succumb to provocations, no violence, let's wait for the result."Earlier, thousands of supporters lined the streets to welcome Chavez as he arrived at the school in a Caracas hillside slum where he cast his vote. Some handed him flowers, and one elderly woman serenaded the president with a folk song.In poor neighborhoods where Chavez draws his most fervent following, supporters had blown bugles and trumpets in a predawn wake-up call. As dusk fell, hundreds gathered outside the Miraflores presidential palace, partying in anticipation of their man's victory and a speech later from its balcony.Crews brought scaffolding for a stage, and revelers set off fireworks.Despite his remarkable comeback from cancer, Chavez, 58, could not match the energy of his previous campaigns - or the pace set by his 40-year-old basketball-loving opponent.
The world is naturally going to be skeptical that a clean handover of power could happen, if indeed the challenger wins.
Earlier Hugo Chavez said he would abide by any result, though we don't know what that means. And analysts have expected that there could be post-election violence if center-right challenger Henrique Capriles is victorious.
The Washington Post earlier reported that turnout was massive.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/07/venezuela-voters-chavez
Venezuela: peaceful but partisan mood as voters give verdict on Chávez
National guards armed with AK47s and teargas patrol streets amid fears of unrest if election result is close
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Venezuelan voters turned out in droves on Sunday to give their verdict on the rule of Hugo Chávez after the most closely fought presidential election since the former tank commander won power in 1998.
Amid fears of unrest if the result was close, national guards armed with AK47s and teargas patrolled the streets. Both sides had warned that the other was preparing to destabilise the country.
But at the polling booths the mood was peaceful and, though partisan, fiercely democratic. The lines of voters outside the polling station in La Florida curled beyond the Cervantes high school, past the housing blocks and up the hill as far as the eye could see. Locals said they had never seen such a turnout, a sign of the interest generated by the vibrant political race and what some believed was an outside chance of an upset.
"In every election, there are a lot of people here, but never like this. People want a change," said a 50-year-old housewife, Marcoline Uzcategui, as she stood outside the polling station. "I don't want to carry on living like this. I have a faint illusion that things may change this time, but Chávez has all the power so I don't want to get my hopes up too high."
Others said they would stick with the president. "Chávez will win because he has supported the people," said Alfredo Alvarez, a lawyer. "He's administered funds as he should."
The show of people power was impressive. Even Chávez's critics acknowledge that he has encouraged greater public participation in decision-making.
Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez, facing his most serious challenge since he was elected president in 1998, greets crowds in Caracas. Photograph: Boris Vergara/EPA
The 58-year-old president has defied many of his critics by fighting back from cancer this year. Although he has not been as prominent on the campaign trail as in the past, a huge rally in Caracas on Thursday showed his formidable campaign power and charisma.
His 40-year-old opponent, Henrique Capriles, has won kudos for an energetic campaign but in an election day tweet acknowledged he was the underdog. "Today we decide the future of our Venezuela," Capriles tweeted. "Today we are millions of Davids! God will be our guide," he added, referring to his depiction of the vote as the biblical underdog's battle against Goliath.
Ahead of the vote, opinion polls suggested the president would be re-elected, albeit by a margin well below his previous landslide victories. But the large number of undecided voters gave late momentum to Capriles.
With Venezuela sitting on the world's largest oil reserves and Chávez a leading figure in the resurgence of the political left in Latin America, the vote will have an impact on the global economy, energy supplies and regional geopolitics.
But for most of the country's almost 19 million voters, the key concerns are the alarming rise in the murder rate, the redistribution of oil wealth, and the personality and health of the man who has led them for the past 13 years.
In the 23 de Enero neighbourhood where Chávez casts his vote, the strong revolutionary spirit is evident in elaborate wall murals depicting Karl Marx, the Paris communes, Fidel Castro and – of course – Hugo Chávez.
But the surge in murder and violent crime have tempted some voters here to consider alternatives. "My vote is a secret because the situation is quite difficult. There is a good candidate this year who has put up a fight against the president," said Plajeres Rangel, a 35-year-old hairdresser, who said security was one of her main concerns.
Commune leaders said Chavez maintained a solid core of support, but they acknowledged gains made by the Capriles campaign. "This area is strongly pro-Chávez, but the opposition has made inroads. They've been campaigning here for the first time and they've come out on to the streets, which they didn't do before," said José Roberto Duque, a journalist at a community radio station.
"I'm here with my family to share a stellar moment for Bolivian socialist democracy," said Noel Marquez, the director of a revolutionary music collective and composer of some of Castro's campaign jingles. "This is a country that is deeply committed to democracy. We have a trustworthy voting system, but the opposition have plans to distort things. They have created a climate of uncertainty, but the people will defend the vote."
On the eve of the vote, Chávez said he would accept any outcome and urged the opposition to do the same. "I call on all political actors from the left, right and centre for us to prepare emotionally to accept tomorrow's result. It won't be the end of the world for anybody," he said in a televised address .
Analysts fear a narrow win for either side could spark accusations of fraud and street violence. This has put the voting system under intense scrutiny, but it appears robust. External observers and domestic analysts have lauded the procedure as one of the most sophisticated in the world.
Presidential candidate Henrique Capriles has promised that he would maintain many of Chávez's social programmes. Photograph: Leo Ramirez/AFP/Getty Images
Voters first registered themselves by inputting their name, national identity number and thumbprint using a console. They then cast an electronic vote for their preferred party candidate on a touchscreen. Their vote entered the central counting system and was printed so that they could confirm it was recorded properly before that hard copy was put in a ballot box, more than half the contents of which would later be cross-checked with the electronic data to ensure the system had not been hacked.
Voters then had to sign a form to confirm they had cast a vote. Before they left, the little finger on their left hand was marked with indelible purple ink so they could not return to vote a second time. "This system is 100% fraud-proof and has been recognised as such by outside political institutions," said Luis Guillermo Piedra, of the National Electoral Council.
Former US president Jimmy Carter has described the system as superior to that of the US. His Carter Centre, based in Atlanta, Georgia, has noted that many Venezuelans are concerned a new electronic voting system might enable authorities to tell how they voted, exposing them to retaliation if they voted against Chávez. "This concern has no basis, however," the centre said. "The software of the voting machines guarantees the secrecy of the vote."
There is less certainty about what happens outside the voting booths. The opposition has lodged 110 complaints alleging abuses of election laws by the Chávez campaign, mostly relating to his domination of airtime on public broadcasting outlets and use of funds, staff and other resources from state-owned enterprises. They also feared that armed militias put pressure on voters before they went to the polls, though there have been no reports of this to date.
"I'll stay at home tonight to keep safe. If there is a close result, there might be trouble," said Jesus Gallardo, a shopkeeper who serves his customers through steel bars. He said he voted for Chávez, but added that he understands why the race has been tighter this time. "Many people are unhappy because of insecurity and failed promises."
http://abcnews.go.com/ABC_Univision/News/page/venezuela-presidential-election-2012-17413482
Venezuela Presidential Election 2012: Everything You Need To Know in One Post
Venezuela is holding presidential elections on Sunday, October 7. Latin American leaders, oil investors and international news junkies might find themselves glued to computer screens and TV sets, rooting for President Hugo Chávez or perhaps hoping that he fails to hold on to another six-year term if opposition leader Henrique Capriles wins.
We are following the elections in Venezuela closely and will be posting updates here frequently.
A look at our coverage thus far is below and be sure to follow our correspondent Manuel Rueda who is in Caracas, on Twitter, as well as our Twitter account @UnivisionNews.
4:15pm Venezuelans vote in Mexico City
Outside of the Venezuelan embassy in Mexico City, hundreds of people lined up to vote...and danced and cheered and chanted "There is a way!" In interviews, voters were heavily in favor of Henrique Capriles, Hugo Chávez's rival in the presidential election. Many said it was the biggest turnout they have seen at the embassy for any Venezuelan election.
Approximately 100,000 Venezuelan voters are registered to vote overseas, in 80 different countries. While most voters in the Mexico City crowd were supporting Henrique Capriles, it's hard to tell if their votes will have much of an impact: Venezuela has a total of about 18.9 million registered voters.
But this afternoon, the Mexico City crowd was optimistic and enthusiastic. Voters and supporters blocked the street in front of the embassy dancing to drum beats and waving Venezuelan flags. Many voters said they believe that this time, after 14 years with Chávez; Venezuela was ready to make a change.-- Diana Oliva Cave
3:20pm Capriles votes
Opposition candidate Henrique Capriles just voted in Las Mercedes, a middle class neighborhood in Caracas. Capriles said that he would respect the election results, adding that "the will of the people," was "sacred" to him.
Despite concerns from some sectors of the opposition that the government might commit fraud during these elections, Capriles said that he fully trusted Venezuela's electoral institutions.
"If I didn't have full trust in the [Venezuelan] electoral process, I wouldn't be here," Capriles said.
Capriles also said that after the election result is announced tonight, residents of the deeply polarized country should make an effort to put their political differences aside. "Venezuela, will be one country tomorrow," Capriles said. "There will not be a defeated people here."
Journalists from several South American countries attempted to get Capriles to speak about what his foreign policy would look like if he wins the election, with one reporter from Ecuador asking Capriles if he would be "as generous" with that country as President Chávez has been.
Capriles refused to answer these questions. "Let's not get ahead of the results," the 40-year-old opposition candidate said. The state-run television network Venezolana de Television did not show the Capriles press conference, even though it had previously broadcast the Chávez post-vote press conference in its entirety. -- Manuel Rueda
2:25pm Chávez Votes
President Hugo Chávez just voted at the 23 de Enero, a working class neighborhood in the west of Caracas. After casting his ballot,he held a brief press conference with international journalists. Patricia Janiot the news anchor at CNN en Español asked Chávez if he would speak with opposition candidate Henrique Capriles if he defeated him tonight. "I am always willing to speak to speak with any Venezuelan in the name of peace," Chávez replied. "Have no doubt that we will recognize the results, whaterver they are," Chávez said. A small group of leftist intellectuals attended the press conference as well, in a sign of support for Chávez. Amongst them was U.S. actor Danny Glover, who has reportedly received money from the Venezuelan government for a film on a Haitian independence hero. -- Manuel Rueda
1 p.m. - plot to disuade people from voting?
Twitter users are acussing Venezuelan officials of slowing down the voting process through a scheme they call "operacion morrocoy," or "operation tortoise." There is no proof of a ploy by Venezuelan officials to dissuade people from voting. However, we have noticed long lines at voting centers in some neighborhoods that generally sympathize with the opposition.
Here's a video from a ten-block line, outside a voting center in the middle class neighborhood of El Marques, in Caracas. Although a couple thousand voters are registered at this site, they only had two machines to check people's fingerprints. "If they implement operation tortoise we will apply operation patience," tweeted Marta Colomina, a journalist that sympathizes with the Venezuelan opposition. --Manuel Rueda
Here's a video from a ten-block line, outside a voting center in the middle class neighborhood of El Marques, in Caracas. Although a couple thousand voters are registered at this site, they only had two machines to check people's fingerprints. "If they implement operation tortoise we will apply operation patience," tweeted Marta Colomina, a journalist that sympathizes with the Venezuelan opposition. --Manuel Rueda
11:50 a.m. - three hours wait to vote is nothing
We spent the past two hours touring voting stations in Caracas, and ran into lots of long lines. Lesbia Gonzalez, a retired nutirionist, told us it took her about three and a half hours to cast her ballot. She began to line up at 5:30am. "It wasn't too bad," she said, "in previous elections I had to wait for up to seven hours to vote." It was common to hear stories of people wating three hours and more to vote. So far though, everything is peaceful and no major irregularities have been reported.--Manuel Rueda
8:45 a.m. - lines since 5am
Just arrived at the Univision bureau in Caracas. On my way to the office I saw long lines of people at different voting stations, which are usually placed in schools. Government officials are saying on TV that voting is going very smoothly, but it doesn't seem very smooth to me if you have to line up on a sidewalk for seven blocks, like in this picture.
Our producer here, Jesus Olarte, voted this morning in La Pastora, a working-class neighborhood in downtown Caracas. In the line that led to the voting station, he talked to a woman in her sixties who had been queuing since 5am. This woman was woken up early in the morning by military style bugles and fireworks traditionally set off by Chavez supporters to encourage people to vote. "I'm tired of waking up at 3am so I can vote," she said.
--Manuel Rueda
--Manuel Rueda
Sunday October 7, 6:36 a.m. - Ready, set, go!
Good morning everyone. The Venezuela presidential election is underway with TV station Globovision showing long lines at voting stations across the country. Some voters began to queue up at stations as early as midnight according to reports on Twitter. I was personally woken up at 3am by loud fireworks and music meant to wake voters up. I've been told these fireworks are part of a mobillization strategy employed by Chavez campaigners.--Manuel Rueda
Venezuela: Radical Group Promises Violence if Chávez Loses Election
Venezuelan Voters Grounded by American Airlines
Thousands of Venezuelans Flying in From Around the World to Vote
What Happens if Chávez Loses?
and....
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/06/venezuela-election-result-oil-politics
Venezuela election result set to upset global oil politics
Hugo Chávez promises to increase production and reduce dependence on US market by doubling crude exports to Asia
Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez delivers a speech on the last day of campaigning in Caracas. Photograph: Juan Barreto/AFP/Getty Images
While giant rallies in Caracas may be drawing the world's attention ahead of tomorrow's Venezuelan presidential election, the global significance of the vote can be found hundreds of miles to the east in the oil-soaked Orinoco Belt.
According to studies, Venezuela has overtaken Saudi Arabia to become number one in the world for proven oil reserves, largely thanks to the heavy crude found in this vast alluvial plain.
Whether this multi-trillion dollar asset is controlled by Hugo Chávez or the opposition challenger, Henrique Capriles, will influence which countries and companies are given the priority to exploit them and how much drivers around the world pay at the pump. According to a report this year by BP, Venezuela has reserves of 296.5bn barrels, about 10% more than Saudi Arabia and 18% of the global total. At the country's current levels of production, this would last about 100 years.
If Chávez wins – as most polls suggest – he has promised to ramp up production and reduce his country's dependence on the US market by doubling crude exports to Asia. To further this goal, Venezuela plans to build a pipeline through Colombia to the Pacific which would reduce costs and transport times to China and other Asian markets.
Capriles, who has mounted a strong challenge, says he would fire the oil minister, Rafael Ramírez, and rethink how crude is extracted and used. Until now Russian and Chinese companies have struck the biggest deals for future exploitation.
"We have to revise every deal. I think they are agreements that are not functioning," he said. During the campaign, he has also said he would halt subsidised oil shipments to Cuba, Belarus, Nicaragua and Syria. Critics say he is a stalking horse for US interests.
Both Chávez and Capriles are calling for more investment so that Venezuela can increase not only output but also the quality of oil through the use of upgrading technology. But the volatile mix of politics and oil has made it difficult to secure partners.
In recent years Venezuelan oil production has fallen due to poor maintenance, low investment and the loss of key workers. Plans to open new fields have been repeatedly delayed. The state-owned oil company PDVSA says the holdups are over. Last week its joint venture with Russia's Rosneft and Lukoil pumped its first barrel. Another operation, with a Vietnamese firm, has also reportedly begun. Projects with Chevron of the US, Spain's Repsol and others are due to start early next year.
But there are still many empty blocks. Officials said BP, Shell and several other multinationals appear to be waiting to see if the government will change today before committing to possible joint ventures in the two main areas for expansion, Carabobo and Junín.
"There is a danger that British firms might miss out. In this country, oil and politics are intertwined. Many companies are waiting for the election result," said Osmel Molina, deputy manager of the Carabobo region. "They hope for higher profits if the political situation changes. That's why there is so much support for the opposition. They don't necessarily want to oust Chávez, but they do want a weak government so they can control the biggest oil resources in the world."
Venezuela has an oil-dependent economy – PDVSA accounts for 95% of the country's export earnings. Domestically, the mix of populist politics, super-abundant oil and second-rate refining technology has left the country with a peculiar system in which the state sells crude for $100 (£61) a barrel, buys back petrol at $400, then sells it on to domestic drivers at such a discount that a full tank is cheaper than a cup of coffee. A gallon costs about 6p, leading to a lucrative cross-border petrol-smuggling business. Neither candidate has dared to commit to a raise.
Oil rose to the centre of the political debate in 2003, when the sector was crippled by striking workers. The Chávez government, which had survived a coup attempt the previous year, sacked most of the management and many of the workers, saying that they were pawns in a US-backed effort to destabilise the country.
The industry is now a bastion of government loyalists. Molina's office is decorated with portraits of Chávez and Simón Bolívar. Most of the staff wear red Chávez re-election campaign T-shirts. Four oilfields are named after battles of independence.
Oil helps to explain why Chávez is vilified in the US. In 2000, a year after taking power, he made his first mark on global affairs with a tour of the Middle East to lobby key Opec members – Iraq, Iran, Libya, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia – to drive oil prices higher. Since then, the cost of Brent crude has risen from less than $20 a barrel to more than $100.
Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi were among the leaders who joined Chávez to drive up prices. Molina believes it is no coincidence that they were deposed and killed: "There's a plan in place to control the global oil market. Anyone who tries to erode the monopoly ends up in conflict with the [US] empire."
In the past, Molina said foreign oil firms were paying only 3% royalties to the government, but Chávez pushed this up to 16%. He also helped to raise the value of the output from the Orinoco Belt by relabelling it as valuable heavy crude instead of cheap bitumin or tar, as it had previously been priced.
Some accuse the US and multinationals of trying to influence the presidential campaign. "Transnationals want control of the oil here. They want the submission of Latin America to supply the market needs of the US," said Nicmer Evans, a political science professor at the Central University of Venezuela.
But the outside influence cuts both ways. Since 2007, the government has received $42.5bn in loans from the China Development Bank, with the biggest tranche coming in the year ahead of an election in which Chávez has increased public spending, the minimum wage and pensions. This is repaid largely through shipments of 430,000 barrels of crude a day to China in repayment.
Russian president Vladimir Putin showed his support with the gift of a puppy to Chávez this month.
But geopolitics is not the only factor at play in deciding who gets to exploit and use this pool of oil. Geography, market demand and refining technology are also help to explain why the US – despite Chávez's rhetoric – remains Venezuela's biggest customer.
The scale of the required investment will also be a struggle for any single country. Chávez has said Venezuela should look to the country's Faja oil belt and promised to invest $130bn in the region to double national oil production to six billion barrels a day, pushing Venezuela past Iran as the world's second-biggest producer. The money is needed to upgrade wells, processing plants, refineries, docks, roads and housing. Dire maintenance has plagued the industry, most recently with a huge fire at the Amuay refinery.
Local people say that the main road between Morichal and Maturin has been cut off at least twice in the past month, once because floods swept away a bridge and once because of a protest by nearby residents against power shortages.
and.....
http://news.yahoo.com/nervous-venezuelans-stock-supplies-election-190032291.html
CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelans packed supermarkets on Friday to stock up on food and other essentials in case of trouble around Sunday's presidential vote, which was shaping up as the biggest electoral challenge of Hugo Chavez's 14-year rule.
Energetic young state governor Henrique Capriles has gained momentum in the closing days of the campaign and he seemed to have the opposition's best chance of unseating Chavez since the socialist president came to power in 1999.
Many among the South American oil exporting nation's 29 million people are fretting that tight results could bring accusations of fraud and protests in an already highly polarized society awash with illegal arms.
"I have to think about my family, there could be violence, anything is possible in this country," said housewife Dayana Alvarez, 38, among scores of shoppers buying cooking oil, powdered milk, candles and flour in a teeming Caracas supermarket.
Some stores and pharmacies have run short of staples like pasta, coffee, toilet paper, rice and milk.
"I've been buying a little every day. You have to be prepared. Who knows what is going to happen?" Maria Eugenia Maduro, a 38-year-old administrator at a computer company, said at another store in a wealthy district where Capriles' support is strong and nervousness over potential trouble is high.
ELECTRONIC BALLOT
In the run-up to the election, three opposition activists were shot dead at a rally, and there were isolated outbreaks of gunfire and rock-throwing at some events. But there was none of the sustained violence some had feared the campaign could bring.
Both sides have voiced confidence in the electronic ballot system, will be sending witnesses to the 13,700 voting centers, and have said they will accept the election board's ruling.
"We have been and will continue to be respectful of the established processes," Capriles' campaign coordinator, Leopoldo Lopez, told reporters on Friday. "We call for peace and tranquility."
Yet with a tight result likely the potential for disputes grew. Supporters of either candidate may be reluctant to accept defeat.
No formal international monitors are allowed, though the UNASUR group of South American nations and U.S.-based Carter Center will have teams in Venezuela watching.
Chavez, 58, has repeatedly said the opposition is preparing violence to swing the result, while his most strident critics say he may balk at handing over power should he lose.
A majority of the nation's half a dozen or so main pollsters put Chavez ahead, but the 40-year-old Capriles' numbers have been creeping up, and two pollsters give him a slight lead.
Illustrating the uncertainty over the vote, two Wall Street banks gave different views on Friday. Credit Suisse said Chavez had the advantage and Barclays said a Capriles win was now likely.
Capriles' aides are convinced he has had a late surge which, combined with what they say is a "fear factor" of many voters afraid of expressing open opposition to Chavez on concerns of losing their jobs, mean there is a real chance for an upset.
"President Chavez, I thank you for all you have done well. And for all you have done badly, history will judge you," Capriles told hundreds of thousands of supporters at his closing rally in Lara state on Thursday night.
"Your cycle has finished."
Making a mammoth personal effort given his recent cancer surgery, Chavez wound up his campaign at the same time speaking to red-clad supporters at a similarly vast rally in Caracas.
"The very life of Venezuela is at stake," he roared in a typically emotional final appeal.
Sunday's ballot is a critical not just for Venezuelans, but also for various other nations around Latin America where Chavez has helped bolster left-wing governments from Cuba to Bolivia with cheap oil and other aid.
Though distracted by its own upcoming presidential election in November, the U.S. government will also be quietly hoping to see the back of its most vociferous critic in the region.
If he wins, Chavez promises to deepen his socialist crusade in Venezuela, meaning there may be more nationalizations on the cards for the health, bank or food sectors. The possibility of a recurrence of cancer will, however, hang over him.
The former soldier, who survived a short-lived coup in 2002, has developed a near Messianic following by casting himself as an heir to 19th century liberation hero Simon Bolivar while pushing billions in oil revenue into anti-poverty programs.
A win for Chavez could prompt a sell-off of Venezuelan bonds, which have risen steadily since June and jumped in recent weeks as investors bet on a possible Capriles win.
Capriles, who admires Brazil's model of respect for private enterprise with strong welfare protection, has run a marathon eight-month campaign of house-by-house visits that have galvanized the historically fractured opposition like never before.
He is promising attention to grassroots problems like crime, unemployment and shoddy services.
and.....
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-19838411
Venezuela election: Chavez and Capriles in final rallies
Under heavy rain in Caracas, Chavez promised more reforms to help Venezuela's poorest
The two candidates in Venezuela's presidential election have addressed huge crowds on the final day of campaigning ahead of Sunday's vote.
President Hugo Chavez told tens of thousands of his supporters in Caracas that he needs a third term to consolidate social reforms.
Opposition candidate Henrique Capriles promises to boost economic growth and govern for all Venezuelans.
Nearly 19 million Venezuelans can vote in the tightly contested race.
President Chavez's supporters, dressed predominantly in red, filled the main avenues of the capital, Caracas, from the early hours of Friday.
"Due to the circumstances I must be brief," he said as be began his speech under heavy rain.
Mr Chavez, who has been in power since 1999, told them he needs another term to tackle poverty and inequality in the oil-rich South American country.
Capriles is backed by a coalition of more than 30 parties
"In all these years, we managed to save the country and have built the foundations for the future," he said.
"In six years' time, we will be the first on health and education. In 10 years, there will be no more homeless in Venezuela," Mr Chavez promised.
If he wins the vote and finishes his term, he will have been in power for 20 consecutive years.
"No energy"
Henrique Capriles Radonski, a 40-year-old lawyer and former governor of Miranda state, ended his campaign with a huge rally in the north-western city of Barquisimeto, in Lara state.
Mr Capriles criticised the government's handling of the economy and promised to build schools, roads and create jobs.
"Fourteen years is enough, 20 is too much," he said, adding that the government of Mr Chavez had run out of energy.
Earlier, the opposition candidate met voters in Cojedes and Apure states and said he would govern for all.
"End the divisions, the confrontations and the fights," he said.
This seems to be the tightest presidential race in Venezuela in over a decade, says the BBC's Sarah Grainger in Caracas.
The campaign has been fiercely contested, with strong language being used and accusations traded between the two camps.
Mr Chavez finished treatment for cancer less than six months ago and has reassured supporters that he is cured and fit to serve out his term.
