This post is part of our special coverage Venezuela Elections 2012 [1].
On Sunday, September 30, Henrique Capriles [2] supporters rallied en masse in the streets of Caracas during the presidential candidate's closing campaign event. Henrique Capriles is running against current President Hugo Chávez in the upcoming presidential elections [3] on October 7.
Daniel Duquenal wrote in his blog Venezuela News and Views [4]:
As I put in a tweet that has been re-tweeted a few times, I dare anyone to prove me wrong that there has not been in the electoral history of the Americas a event of such amplitude. I am not quite ready to put “political event” since some confused revolutions can bring boatloads of people in the streets. I can assure you of one thing, from past experience in Venezuela, today Capriles has put AT LEAST a million and a half people in the streets of Caracas. […] for hours people tried to come and go, or just walk a portion of the different set routes. The Libertador, the Solano, the Miranda, the San Martin avenues were full, and more. For hours.
[5]Henrique Capriles supporters in Bolívar Avenue in Caracas during his campaign's closing event on September 30, 2012. Photo by Camilo Delgado Castilla, copyright Demotix.
Venezuelans have shared numerous citizen videos of the rally on YouTube. NoticiaTube [6] uploaded the following video from Bolívar Avenue:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Qo3Wx5Ings [6]
Fashionauta [7] also shared a video from the same avenue in Caracas:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xS8Iqdu03vo [7]
Meanwhile, David Hernández [8] recorded a video of the arrival of Henrique Capriles:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHCttd8okOM [8]
In a longer video, Luis Carlos Díaz [7] explains:
El acto de campaña se realizó en la avenida Bolívar, donde se encontraron 5 marchas que partieron desde distintos puntos de la ciudad. Estuvimos en la olla. Chávez cerrará allí también el 4 de octubre.
The campaign event took place in Bolívar Avenue, where 5 marches which started at different points of the city came together. We were right in the middle. Chávez will also close his campaign there on October 4.
This post is part of our special coverage Venezuela Elections 2012 [1].