Sunday, September 16, 2012

Venezuela opposition chides Chavez over recent weeping jag

Venezuela's opposition presidential candidate chided Hugo Chavez for publicly weeping over the loss of freedom he has had to contend with during his 14 years in power, all part of an increasingly dramatic campaign ahead of the Oct. 7 vote.

Facing his toughest-ever re-election challenge, socialist "revolutionary" Chavez teared up during a televised speech on Saturday, lamenting the loss of his freedom to roam anonymously through Venezuela's towns and countryside.

Henrique Capriles, the business-friendly candidate seeking to unseat Chavez, told a rally that the incumbent should not be crying for himself but for the Venezuelans who have suffered rising crime and economic mismanagement under his rule. "Yesterday the government's candidate cried because he wants to be free.

He cried for himself," Capriles told thousands of supporters at a campaign event in the Petare neighborhood of Caracas, one of the biggest slums in South America. "Who cries for the mothers mourning over their children killed by violence? Who cries when there's not enough food to feed their families?" Capriles said. "There is nothing worse than messianic politics."

Wall Street expects Venezuelan bond prices to jump if Capriles wins. Also in play on Oct. 7 is control of the world's biggest crude reserves and the future of state oil company PDVSA, a top supplier of energy to the United States.