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Capriles holds massive rally in capital, vows to win presidency
CARACAS -- In one of the most combative and optimistic speeches of his rushed campaign, opposition presidential candidate Henrique Capriles said internal polling showed him with a growing lead over rival Nicolás Maduro, one week before the crucial vote that will determine the future of the oil-rich nation.

In his final rally in Caracas on Sunday, Capriles told throngs of supporters that the campaign of Maduro, the interim president, was “collapsing” and that victory was within reach.

“We are winning this process,” he said. “Twenty days ago, people said it would be impossible, but I told the nation that even though we have all the powers against us we have the hopes of millions of people.”

Polls taken before campaigning began April 2 showed Maduro with a double-digit lead. And the administration says those numbers are holding up.
Of course they do...
But Capriles, 40, has been drawing large, enthusiastic crowds to his rallies, even in government strongholds.

Sunday’s event was a key show of strength for his candidacy, and tens of thousands of people paralyzed downtown Caracas, chanting and dancing along with campaign jingles. But Capriles has been here before. In October, when he ran against late-President Hugo Chávez, the size and enthusiasm of his rallies had many hoping he might pull off an upset. Instead, he lost by 11 points.
So Hugo stuffed the ballot box to the tune of a good 20 points, I figure. Wonder if Nick the Mad can do the same...
But on Sunday, his supporters said much has changed since then. During the last few months, while Maduro has been at the helm, the country has seen food shortages, currency devaluations and persistent crime. Many in the crowd said Sunday’s event was larger than last year’s.

On the campaign trail, Capriles has accused Maduro and other Chávez insiders of hijacking the government and bending the rules to stay in power. And he compared his mustachioed rival to “Satan” for trying to divide the country and saying opposition voters would be cursed.

“I will do everything to win the trust of all Venezuelans,” Capriles said. “I don’t want anyone in this country when I’m president to say they were left out.”

Capriles, the governor of Miranda, will continue barnstorming the nation throughout the week and wrap up his campaign Thursday in Barquisimeto, Venezuela’s fourth-largest city and an opposition stronghold.
Posted by: Steve White 2013-04-09
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=365829