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July 15th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda
Surveys show many Venezuelans had doubted until weeks ago whether the
firebrand leftist president would stand for reelection after multiple rounds
of chemotherapy and radiation therapy in Communist ally Cuba over the past
year.
The exact location and nature of the cancer has never been revealed, with
officials only saying that Chavez, 57, underwent surgery to remove cancerous
tumours from his pelvis.
But after formally launching his campaign with a mass rally on July 1, Chavez
has sought to dispel doubts about his health, increasing his public
appearances and announcing this week that he was exercising again and was
free to take on the tough election battle without “physical
restrictions.”
The president is “looking for person-to-person” contacts beyond the
media mainstream to “prove he has much support in the polls and on the
street,” political analyst Farith Fraija said.
With three months to go before the October 7 vote, most polls put Chavez
firmly in the lead. But Capriles, 40, is counting on undecided voters –
estimated to be 35 per cent of the electorate.
Capriles has claimed he will defeat Chavez, even predicting a 10-point margin
of victory. He has vowed to tackle what he calls the country’s three main
problems – poverty, unemployment and violence.
But Fraija said the challenger’s strategy has not reduced the gap with Chavez
and has instead allowed the president to have “more autonomy” in
managing direct contacts with the electorate.
“Capriles is looking for what he does not have – popular support – while
the president is consolidating popular support, said Fraija.
“Taking into account the physical condition of the president, following a
strategy of emulating a young candidate running against an old and ailing
president does not work.”
But Chavez, a popular leader who has dominated Venezuelan politics – and
airwaves – in his nearly 14 years in power, has yet to hint at the level of
activity he will engage in over the coming months.
His rallies “are an attempt to neutralise the impact of the Capriles
campaign … which lacks the rhetorical capacity of Chavez, and there is
enthusiasm among the people who attend,” said Herbert Koeneke, a
professor of political science at Simon Bolivar University.
“Chavez is a television phenomenon, with a capacity for empathy with the
poorer sectors of society and this will be his key channel, as he lacks the
local presence of Capriles in villages.”
Source: AFP
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