Presidential candidate Henrique Capriles is mobbed at rallies by ecstatic women who press close to touch him and leave scratches on his arms and neck. Some shout "Marry me!" to the single 40-year-old who's trying to unseat President Hugo Chavez in next month's hotly contested vote.
The 58-year-old Chavez campaigns as the living legend who for more than 13 years has remade this oil-rich country in his socialistic vision. But he's also adjusting his approach as he confronts for the first time a younger, charismatic rival.
The two are taking at times contrasting approaches ahead of Venezuela's Oct. 7 election but they're aiming for the same pool of swing voters made up of Venezuelans under 30 and women of all social classes.
While recent polls show everything from a tie to a double-digit lead for Chavez, they've also revealed between 10 and 20 percent of voters who are either undecided or won't say whom they support.
Most of those — about 1.5 million of them — are working-class voters who will play a crucial role in the election, said Angel Alvarez, a professor of political science at Venezuela's Central University.
To try to persuade them, Chavez and his campaign have been using "the threat that Henrique Capriles has a package of secret economic measures that are going to seriously affect them," Alvarez said.
AP
"As for Capriles' side, I'd say the strategy is to show that Chavez's government has performed badly in a range of areas from crime to jobs," Alvarez said. "Who will win? The one that manages to convince those voters... that his adversary is the more dangerous one."
Capriles is also betting on his youthful appeal. He's campaigned vigorously in more than 200 towns nationwide, pumping hands and sweating among the crowds. The opposition-aligned organization Voto Joven, or Youth Vote, estimates that more than a third of registered voters are between the ages of 18 and 25, making them a key target for both camps.
As the response at campaign events show, Capriles' appeal to women has become another asset, turning the lean, athletic candidate into a kind of opposition sex symbol.
On the stump, Capriles has argued that he would inject a fresh voice into politics and replace a bloated administration that's run out of ideas. He also tries to reassure Venezuelans that he won't take away the social programs started by Chavez and will manage a peaceful transition of power.
"I ask each Venezuelan to reflect deeply, put your hand on your heart and think if it can be better, and think if after 14 years, whether the one who didn't come through is going to do it in the next six years," Capriles told supporters at a rally on Monday. "Think about it, young people, women."
Chavez, for his part, faces a challenge rare in electoral politics: trying to appear fresh while seeking a third presidential term that would extend his time in office to two decades.
First, Chavez has tried to erase doubts about his health after more than a year of cancer treatment. He's shown up on television singing and dancing, even at times slinging an electric bass guitar over his shoulder and pretending to play to the beat. Nonetheless, he's appeared at fewer rallies and has at times looked noticeably bloated and aged.
He's also gone to great lengths to freshen up his image for younger voters. Instead of his military fatigues, he's been wearing casual blue jackets and occasionally a yellow scarf.
20 Sep, 2012
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Source: http://feeds.abcnews.com/click.phdo?i=55095c1ac13117695a8cac51dbcb941d
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