Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez assured that he will protocol his candidacy to to run for reelection within the required deadline set by the country’s electoral authority, reducing doubts about his ability to meet the challenges of the election campaign while fighting cancer at the same time.
After 11 days without appearing in public since returning from medical treatment in Cuba, Chavez coordinated a government meeting in the Miraflores Palace, broadcasted on national television.
The Venezuelan president, who appeared on television only twice since mid-April, said his candidacy will be made official between June 1st to 11th, the deadline set by the National Electoral Council (CNE).
Chavez turned his criticism to the opposition candidate, Henrique Capriles, accusing him of trying to emulate the socialist model to climb in the polls.
While Capriles held a series of house-to-home visits in recent months, the command of Chavez’s campaign has made frequent political acts, regardless of the absence of Venezuelan President on the account of his radiotherapy treatment in Cuba.
Meanwhile, polls show Chavez is ahead of Capriles. The candidate of the Mesa da Unidade Democrática (MUD), said he will formalize his candidacy on June 1st