Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has been accused of acting like a dictator after banning leading opposition figures from standing in this weekend's elections. Several senior opposition figures have been banned from standing for office by the government-controlled judiciary.
Leopoldo Lopez, who was the favourite to win the elections' top prize, mayor of Caracas, was barred on the grounds of corruption despite having no conviction or any pending trial. "The façade of democracy is crumbling," said Mr Lopez, 37, from his offices in the exclusive district of Chacao in Caracas. "A court has ruled I cannot hold political office until 2014, ensuring that I cannot stand for these elections, those of the national assembly in 2010, or for the presidency in 2012."
Other opposition candidates, including Mr Chavez's former wife, have accused the controversial Venezuelan leader of effectively becoming a dictator. Marisabel Rodriguez, standing for mayor of her home town of Barquisimeto, said: "Chavez wants to control every aspect of our lives. He will not be happy until he had set up a Cuban-style dictatorship here."
Manuel Rosales, who stood unsuccessfully for the presidency against Mr Chavez in 2006, has been threatened with arrest as he stands for the post of mayor of the city of Maracaibo. "Chavez has unleashed a wave of intimidation," Mr Rosales. "Not just against me, but almost all of the opposition candidates that have a chance of winning."
Yet Mr Chavez can still draw crowds of hundreds of thousands, all clad in the red shirts that symbolise his campaign. Olga Marin, who works in a co-operative making shoes set up by the government, said: "He is the only president in Venezuelan history that has cared about the poor. He will always get my vote."
The elections are crucial for Mr Chavez so he can get his socialist revolution back on track after losing a referendum last year designed to give him sweeping powers and chances at indefinite re-election. Voters will decide on the positions of 22 provincial governors, 328 mayors and 233 regional legislators, the vast majority of which are currently in the hands of politicians loyal to the president. "If I am to continue governing Venezuela, it will depend on what happens on Sunday. Make no mistake, Chavez's political destiny is in play here," the president said during a campaign rally.
Whilst many Venezuelans from the poor slums around Caracas still believe in the ideology of 'Socialism of the 21st Century' and the idea that the nation's oil wealth should be better distributed, they are losing patience with the reality of living under Mr Chavez. The public transport system breaks down increasingly frequently, crime rates are among the highest in the world, power cuts have become common, rubbish piles up on the street and inflation is running at well over 30 per cent.
Despite the allegations of intimidation, polls show Mr Chavez may lose up to a third of the states – undermining any attempts to push forward a major constitutional reform.
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