Campaigning has come to a close in Venezuela's first post-Chavez presidential election, with tensions running high between the opposition and the interim president. The country heads to the polls on Sunday.
Just over a month after President Hugo Chavez succumbed to cancer, Venezuela is gearing up for its second presidential election in less than a year, with campaigning officially over ahead of this weekend's polls.
Interim President Nicolas Maduro, Chavez's former foreign minister and vice president, vowed during his final rally on Thursday to continue the late leader's socialist revolution.
"We, his sons, and daughters, will collectively guarantee that this is the case," Maduro told supporters the capital, Caracas. "We swear that this revolution will continue."
Meanwhile, opposition candidate Henrique Capriles told supporters in the western city of Barquisimeto that he would end the 14-year-long Chavez era.
"Make no mistake, next Sunday is time to open a new cycle and chance this situation," said Capriles, who lost to Chavez in the presidential election last October.
Maduro has accused the opposition of trying to sabotage the power grid and claimed that the US was targeting him. The Capriles' camp has accused Maduro supporters of throwing stones and intimidation.
An opinion survey conducted by pollster Datanalisis, published by Credit Suisse bank on Thursday, gave Maduro a 9.7 percent lead over Capriles.
slk/rg (AP, AFP)
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