Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
Edition:
U.S.
Africa
Arabic
Argentina
Brazil
Canada
China
France
Germany
India
Italy
Japan
Latin America
Mexico
Russia
Spain
United Kingdom
Home
Business
Business Home
Economy
Technology
Media
Small Business
Green Business
Legal
Deals
Earnings
Summits
Business Video
Markets
Markets Home
U.S. Markets
European Markets
Asian Markets
Global Market Data
Indices
M&A
Stocks
Bonds
Currencies
Commodities
Futures
Funds
peHUB
World
World Home
U.S.
Brazil
China
Euro Zone
Japan
Mexico
Russia
Afghan Journal
Africa Journal
India Insight
Global News Journal
Pakistan: Now or Never?
World Video
Politics
Politics Home
Front Row Washington
Politics Video
Technology
Technology Home
MediaFile
Science
Tech Video
Opinion
Opinion Home
Chrystia Freeland
Felix Salmon
John Lloyd
Jack Shafer
Breakingviews
David Rohde
Bernd Debusmann
Gregg Easterbrook
Nader Mousavizadeh
James Saft
David Cay Johnston
Edward Hadas
Hugo Dixon
Ian Bremmer
Mohamed El-Erian
Lawrence Summers
Susan Glasser
The Great Debate
Newsmaker
Money
Money Home
Analyst Research
Global Investing
MuniLand
Reuters Money Blog
John Wasik
Unstructured Finance
Alerts
Watchlist
Portfolio
Stock Screener
Fund Screener
Personal Finance Video
Life & Culture
Health
Sports
Arts
Faithworld
Business Traveler
Left Field
Entertainment
Oddly Enough
Lifestyle Video
Pictures
Pictures Home
Reuters Photographers
Full Focus
Video
Article
Comments (0)
Slideshow
Full Focus
Editor's choice
Our top photos from the last 24 hours. Full Article
Follow Reuters
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
YouTube
Read
Cancer-suffering Korean song contestant rivets nation
9:29am EDT
U.S. Army soldier arrested on suspicion of espionage
01 Nov 2011
Occupy Wall Street finds money brings problems too
9:32am EDT
Dutch psychologist admits he made up research data
9:50am EDT
WRAPUP 7-France, Germany demand Greek decision on euro
11:43am EDT
Discussed
159
Insight: U.S. firms to charge smokers, obese more for healthcare
145
Two abortion clinic employees plead guilty to murder
112
Jobless US vets say military experience not valued
Watched
Rena could split in next 24 hours
Tue, Nov 1 2011
Stallone stuntman dies on set
Mon, Oct 31 2011
Flight from U.S. makes emergency landing
Tue, Nov 1 2011
Three-horse race for Venezuela's anti-Chavez ticket
Tweet
Share this
Email
Print
Related News
Brazil's ex-president Lula has throat cancer
Sat, Oct 29 2011
Venezuela's Chavez declares himself free of cancer
Thu, Oct 20 2011
Chavez rival to run despite Venezuela court ruling
Tue, Oct 18 2011
Venezuela blocks Chavez rival's presidential bid
Mon, Oct 17 2011
Analysis: Chavez cancer saga keeps Venezuela guessing
Mon, Oct 10 2011
Analysis & Opinion
Getting on the ballot in New Hampshire
Farewell to the Gaddafi Goof-O-Rama
Related Topics
World »
1 of 5. Venezuelan presidential candidate and opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez soeaks to the media during a news conference in Caracas October 18, 2011.
Credit: Reuters/Carlos Garcia Rawlins
By Andrew Cawthorne
CARACAS |
Wed Nov 2, 2011 11:54am EDT
CARACAS (Reuters) - The race to be the presidential candidate of Venezuela's opposition coalition has come down to three challengers who all hope their youth and experience in office make them the best bet to unseat President Hugo Chavez.
Less than a year ahead of the South American OPEC member's October 7 vote, politics are dominated by two issues: the health of socialist leader Chavez after cancer treatment, and who will win the Democratic Unity coalition's February primary.
The three frontrunners in the opposition tussle ahead of the February primary are state governors Henrique Capriles Radonski and Pablo Perez, and former district mayor Leopoldo Lopez.
With ages ranging from 39 to 42, they have successfully presented themselves as the "new guard" of Venezuela's opposition, pushing out traditional party heavyweights with poor records against Chavez.
"The doors are opening to a new way of doing politics," said Lopez, flanked by his wife and cheering supporters as he formally registered for the primary this week.
Lopez, who used to be mayor of Caracas' wealthy Chacao district and is known for his telegenic looks and charismatic oratory, is the most-recognized abroad of the three men because of his legal fight after being disqualified from politics.
After a regional human rights court ruled in his favor earlier this year, Venezuela's Supreme Court decreed that he could run for president -- but that he remained barred from holding office because of a pending graft investigation.
Lopez says Chavez is scared of him and the charges false.
ENERGETIC FRONT-RUNNER
Ahead of Lopez in all polls of the opposition field is Capriles, the governor of Miranda, Venezuela's second most populous state that includes parts of Caracas.
A keen basketball player, the energetic Capriles often rides a motorbike to work and -- in an echo of Chavez's pre-cancer style -- frequents shanty-towns to supervise projects and inquire about locals' problems. During floods, he was widely pictured wading up to his waist to visit victims.
"He is still the frontrunner by some distance. He's the guy most likely to unify the opposition, rally the 'NiNis' and beat Chavez," wrote pro-opposition blog Caracas Chronicles, using a local term for undecided or 'neither-nor' voters.
"The nomination is his to lose."
The third big opposition contender, among a large clutch of hopefuls, is Perez, governor of the oil-rich western state of Zulia, on the border with Colombia.
Last week he secured the important endorsement of Venezuela's largest opposition party, Democratic Action.
But while he may benefit from its formidable national political machinery, there could be a backlash among some voters given the party's sullied reputation from nepotism.
Beyond their opposition to Chavez and promises to unite behind whoever wins the primary on February 12, the three men have given few specific policy pledges and are trying to avoid political type-casting in Venezuela's polarized environment.
Analysts say Perez and Capriles -- who is an admirer of former Brazilian leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva -- are broadly center-left, while Lopez is center-right.
To their nemesis, Chavez, however, they are all representatives of the "ultra-right," offspring of Venezuelan bourgeoisie who plan to dismantle his socialist policies at the behest of interests in Washington.
"Would that there were a candidate of one's own level to have a debate with, but none of them are fit to look in the face, pure mediocrity," Chavez said in one of his near-daily dismissals of the opposition.
Whoever wins in February faces a formidable battle against Chavez. His approval ratings have risen to near-60 percent on a sympathy bounce over his illness and he has accumulated a large election war-chest on the back of high oil revenues.
Chavez has declared himself cured of cancer after an operation to remove a tumor in his pelvic region and four rounds of chemotherapy. Yet doubts persist.
Doctors say it is impossible to have a clean bill of health until at least two years after cancer treatment, and the president said over the weekend he was "not in optimum physical condition" because of a cold he caught in the rain.
(Additional reporting by Deisy Buitrago and Marianna Parraga; Editing by Vicki Allen)
World
Tweet this
Link this
Share this
Digg this
Email
Reprints
We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/
Comments (0)
Be the first to comment on reuters.com.
Add yours using the box above.
Edition:
U.S.
Africa
Arabic
Argentina
Brazil
Canada
China
France
Germany
India
Italy
Japan
Latin America
Mexico
Russia
Spain
United Kingdom
Back to top
Reuters.com
Business
Markets
World
Politics
Technology
Opinion
Money
Pictures
Videos
Site Index
Legal
Bankruptcy Law
California Legal
New York Legal
Securities Law
Support & Contact
Contact Us
Advertise With Us
Connect with Reuters
Twitter
Facebook
LinkedIn
RSS
Podcast
Newsletters
Mobile
About
Privacy Policy
Terms of Use
Our Flagship financial information platform incorporating Reuters Insider
An ultra-low latency infrastructure for electronic trading and data distribution
A connected approach to governance, risk and compliance
Our next generation legal research platform
Our global tax workstation
Thomsonreuters.com
About Thomson Reuters
Investor Relations
Careers
Contact Us
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.