CARACAS- VENEZUELANS voted in state elections yesterday that will test President Hugo Chávez's grip after a decade in power as he seeks to renew his drive toward socialism in the Opec nation despite falling oil prices.
Mr Chávez, still popular among the poor for spending oil wealth on schools, clinics and subsidized food, needs his allies to score clear victories so he can advance measures allowing him to stay in office after his term ends in 2012.
The anti-US leader of Latin America's radical left won 20 of 22 states in the last local elections four years ago. He is set to gain a majority again but the strength of his win hinges on several states where he appears to have only a slim lead.
If the opposition can grab the populous and prosperous states that pollsters say are still in play, it would keep the political momentum and be emboldened to stifle the ambitions of a man who came to power in 1999 and wants to rule for decades.
Yesterday Mr Chávez activated the massive get-out-the-vote machinery of his United Socialist Party of Venezuela. The former paratrooper's single party was too new to function well last year but is now stocked with "platoons" to turn out voters even in the most out-of-reach shantytowns.
The multiparty opposition also has improved, showing more unity than in the past by fielding single candidates, while Mr Chávez also faces stiff challenges from ex-supporters. - (Reuters)