The crowds came out by the thousands in Venezuela on Monday, flooding the streets of Caracas in red T-shirts just as the nation’s populist government had promised.
Hugo Chavez — the country’s 57-year-old, bigger-than-life leader — then took the stage. He had arrived in an open truck, minutes after registering as a candidate for the Oct. 7 election.
For a moment, the man in the red beret looked like the leader of old: energetic, strong, unstoppable and oozing charisma. He sang to the crowd and also told his followers, “Here I am again, and in your name, in the name of the fatherland, I’ve registered as a candidate for another six-year term.”
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