Venezuelans choose their governor for the upcoming 6 years

Venezuelan voters will choose on Sunday who governs their country for the upcoming 6 years.

The competing candidates are: Hugo Chavez, who is seeking re-election for the third time, and Henrique Capriles, a young lawyer from an upper middle class family, who has posed the biggest threat Chavez has faced in his nearly 14 years in office.

In this context, Chavez held an impromptu news conference for international media on Saturday on the eve of what is expected to be his closest election yet, but he refused to answer tough questions such as whether he would quit politics if he lost.

After a meeting with the representative of UNASUR's (Unions of South American Nations) international observers, Carlos Alberto Alvarez, the president excused himself from responding by citing election law, which prohibits candidates from making political statements in the two days before election day.

Asked about the possibility of disputes or unrest after Sunday's voting, Chavez said he hoped his opponents don't attempt what he called a "destabilising game" and called on everyone involved in the elections to respect the outcome of the vote.

His challenger, Henrique Capriles, has not appeared in public since Thursday in compliance with election law.

AP