Venezuelan opposition leader to run for president

CARACAS - Venezuela's opposition leader said Sunday that he agreed to be a presidential candidate of his coalition and will formalize his candidacy before the National Electoral Council.

Henrique Capriles made the decision after the opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) coalition offered the candidacy for the upcoming presidential election in April, as required by the constitution after the death of President Hugo Chavez on Tuesday.

"I will fight with you, with you all. Nicolas, I'm not going to make way; you'll have to beat me to votes," he told reporters, challenging the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela's candidate, Nicolas Maduro, who is also the acting president after the death of Chavez.

"Still the country is in national mourning... I am impressed where things have come to our country," he said. "My fight is not to be president. My fight is for Venezuela to move forward."

Capriles has previously denounced the Supreme Court's ruling to allow Maduro to be sworn in as acting president and run for president without leaving his office as a constitutional fraud.

But the court argued that its verdict was made based on Article 233 of the Constitution, saying: "The executive vice president becomes acting president and ceases his previous post."

The National Electoral Council has set the date of the presidential election for April 14, with a pre-election campaign of 10 days to elect a successor to Chavez.

Capriles, governor of the central state of Miranda, lost to Chavez as a candidate of the MUD in last year's presidential election.