14-Feb-2012 - Venezuela Votes on Chávez Challenger

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The primary was organized by a coalition of political parties from across the spectrum, from far left to far right, and it was intended to choose a single candidate capable of unifying the often mlb jerseys from china divided opposition. That candidate will face off against Mr. Chávez in a general election scheduled for Oct. 7. “Now we are happy because we have the chance to pick someone who can compete against him and it gives us the hope of getting out from under Chávez,” said Anaís Gonzalez, 27, who voted in Petare, a Caracas slum. Ms. Gonzalez, who is unemployed, voted for Henrique Capriles Radonski, the governor of Miranda State, which includes Petare. Mr. Capriles, 39, a political moderate, has shown a strong appeal among young voters and says he models himself on Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the popular former president of Brazil. Public opinion polls showed Mr. Capriles with a strong advantage leading up to the voting, with Pablo Pérez, the governor of Zulia State, on the border with Colombia, running in second place. Three other candidates had smaller levels of support in polls. The nfl trade jerseys primary was intended in part to showcase the unity of opposition groups and to energize voters opposed to Mr. Chávez. Mr. Chávez has mocked the opposition candidates, saying they would not be qualified to serve as mayors, and he dismissed the primary as a circus. At polling stations on Sunday, voters voiced deep dissatisfaction with Mr. Chávez’s government, citing a high crime rate, food shortages, corruption, a failure to deliver on promises and his almost total control over most aspects of government and civic life. “Chávez says he is going to fix everything and he fixes nothing,” said Raúl Hernandez, 68, another Petare resident, who cast his vote for Mr. Pérez. “He promises and promises and doesn’t follow through.” But while large numbers of opposition supporters voted, far more people stayed home. Outside a polling Reebok NFL jerseys station in Catia, another Caracas slum, Heidi Sánchez, 33, a teacher, praised the president. She said that government programs begun by Mr. Chávez had helped her elderly parents, who have diabetes and arthritis. They are able to get free medicine through government pharmacies and free health care in local clinics and rehabilitation centers, Ms. Sánchez said. And she had harsh words for the opposition candidates. “They haven’t done anything for the people,” she said. “They are only out for themselves.”

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