Chavez’s heir draws a crowd

Published: March 12. 2013 4:00AM PST

A man shouts slogans Monday during a rally in Caracas, Venezuela, in support of acting President Nicolas Maduro, who registered his candidacy for an upcoming presidential election. A massive crowd thronged Maduro, Hugo Chavez’s hand-picked successor, and blocked opposition candidate Henrique Capriles from registering for the April 14 vote by the 2 p.m. deadline. The Capriles campaign told The Associated Press that an aide registered for the candidate at the election commission later Monday afternoon. Also Monday, the owners of the last remaining television station critical of Venezuela’s government announced it was being sold to an insurance company owner who is apparently friendly with the ruling socialists, following an unrelenting campaign to financially strangle the broadcaster through regulatory pressure. The announcement, which civil liberties advocates called a crushing blow to press freedom, comes a month ahead of crucial elections as the opposition accuses the late president’s political heirs of employing multiple violations of the constitution to gain an unfair advantage. — The Associated Press
Rodrigo Abd / The Associated Press

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