CARACAS, Venezuela — State Gov. Henrique Capriles won Venezuela’s first-ever opposition presidential primary Sunday by a wide margin, emerging as the single candidate who will try to end President Hugo Chavez’s 13 years in power.
Capriles, the 39-year-old governor of Miranda state, faces a tough task in ousting Chavez, a charismatic campaigner with a loyal following and the full powers of the state to back his candidacy in Oct. 7 elections.
Opposition election chief Teresa Albanes announced the preliminary results, saying that Capriles won about 62 percent of the vote, beating Zulia state Gov. Pablo Perez by a margin of more than 30 percentage points.
Chavez’s opponents lined up to vote in many areas, surpassing most expectations with a turnout of about 2.9 million.
Front Section, Pages 2 on 02/13/2012