Venezuela's Chávez taunts 'bourgeois' election foe

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez vowed on Wednesday to thrash newly chosen opposition leader Henrique Capriles in an October election and mocked his foes for copying him to woo voters.

It was the socialist leader's first reaction to Capriles' landslide victory in a weekend opposition primary that set up a potentially competitive presidential election in the South American OPEC nation dominated by Chávez for the last 13 years.

Speaking at a parliament session in southern Bolivar state, Chávez first congratulated the Democratic Union coalition for a primary that drew a higher-than-expected 3 million turnout.

Then he turned on them, criticizing the burning of election records - which the coalition did to counter fears of reprisals should the lists fall into state hands - and accusing Capriles of representing the interests of Venezuela's wealthy elite.

"The bourgeoisie have their candidate - the candidate of the anti-fatherland, of capitalism, of the Yankees. We are going to thrash that bourgeoisie," Chávez said in the familiar class rhetoric that has characterized his rule.

Raised by his grandmother in a rural hut, Chávez, 57, projects himself as the protector of the poor and his anti-US rhetoric has made him one of the world's best-known and most controversial leaders.

Though from a wealthy family, Capriles, the 39-year-old state governor of Miranda province, describes himself as a center-left "progressive" and spends more time in shanty-towns than in his office.