Chavez registers candidacy amid show of support

CARACAS - Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez made a much-anticipated personal appearance Monday, registering his candidacy in the upcoming presidential election and dampening rumors that he was too ill to officially launch his campaign in person.

Riding atop a truck as it drove through downtown Caracas to the headquarters of the National Electoral Council (NEC), Chavez waved to throngs of cheering red-shirted supporters who had been gathering throughout the day.

Dressed in the colors of the Venezuelan flag and wearing a red beret, Chavez was accompanied by his two daughters and brother Adan, as well as his vice president and several legislators as he arrived at the NEC's offices.

Confetti rained on the presidential hopeful, who is running for a third six-year term to continue his socialist reforms, despite his recent battle with cancer, which he claims he won.

Before registering, he greeted supporters from the balcony of the NEC. And after registering, he climbed onto a makeshift stage in a central plaza with a group of folk dancers and sang a few lines from a popular folk tune.

Media reported Chavez appeared to walk into the NEC's offices with some difficulty, aided by his two daughters.

The former soldier's physical condition has become a focal point of the nation's October 7 presidential race and the main target of his election rival, former Miranda state governor Henrique Capriles, who is nearly 20 years his junior.

The opposition candidate preceded his registration Sunday at the NEC with a pointed 10-kilometer walk aimed at highlighting his own fit conditions.

Polls have shown Chavez commands a wide lead over his opponent, but observers say his support could wane if his conditions deteriorate.

Chavez was first elected president in 1999, then re-elected in 2006. His current term runs until February 2013.