Henrique Capriles to challenge Chavez in Venezuelan election

Feb 13, 2012, 16:14 GMT

Caracas - Governor Henrique Capriles won the Venezuelan opposition primary to become the unified candidate to challenge President Hugo Chavez in presidential elections scheduled for October 7.

Capriles, 39, the governor of the state of Miranda, got 62 per cent of the votes in Sunday's unprecedented primary, compared with 30 per cent for second placed Pablo Perez, the governor of Zulia. The rest went to other candidates.

No significant incidents were reported during the vote, in which 2.9 million people cast their ballots.

'The future won today,' said Capriles, who leads the centre-right Primero Justicia (Justice First).

'If there is something that keeps me awake at night it is to unite Venezuelans. I want to be the president of all,' said Capriles, who is now expected to represent right-of-centre opposition parties in the election.

Perez said he would join the winner's campaign command, so that Venezuela can have a 'new president.'

The opposition has long accused the left-wing populist Chavez of being authoritarian and of dividing the country. Chavez, 57, who has led Venezuela as the winner of democratic elections since 1999, is standing for a further term in office despite suffering from an unspecified form of cancer last year.