MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Massive rallies of Capriles and Chavez in last leg of what polls show as a very tight presidential race

An estimated 100.000 people turned out in support of Capriles in the heart of Caracas

More than 100.000 people gathered in Caracas in support of Venezuelan opposition presidential candidate Henrique Capriles. He criticised President Hugo Chavez for what he called a long list of unfulfilled promises and demanded justice for three opposition activists killed during a rally in Barinas state on Saturday.

Meanwhile Chavez addressed large crowds in Zulia state, promising to deepen socialism. He told his supporters it was impossible to lose the vote.

Capriles said the rally was the biggest Caracas had ever seen. “Bolivar Avenue is too small for us,” he said, referring to one of the main city streets. He also paid tribute to the three men who had died.

“Yesterday, sadly, violence took three lives, something that should never have happened,” Capriles said, in his last major rally in the capital before the election. “I want to tell their families and those angels in heaven, that we are going to defeat violence on 7 October.”

The three were named as Antonio Valero, Omar Fernandez and Hector Rojas. An initial statement by the First Justice Party on Saturday night reported two deaths.

It said a rally had been planned in Barinas, President Hugo Chavez's home state, on Saturday but the road was blocked by government supporters. When Mr Valero and Mr Fernandez left their car to try to gain access, they were fired on by gunmen inside a van, it said.

“This tragedy gives us more strength and faith to fight for a Venezuela where justice and non-violence reign,” the First Justice Party said.

Justice Minister Tareck El Aissami said in a message on Twitter that a suspect in the killings had already been arrested.

Chavez and Capriles are wrapping up their campaigns over the next few days ahead of the 7 October elections when 19 million Venezuelans are registered to vote.

The president also reportedly gathered crowds in the tens of thousands in the town of Cabimas in the western Zulia state. Chavez said he regretted the deaths and called for calm.

“It's not with violence that we face off. It's with votes, ideas, peace, so let's not fall into provocations,” he said.

There have been other incidents of violence on the campaign trail. Supporters of both candidates threw stones at each other earlier this month when Capriles attempted to march through the city of Puerto Cabello.

And four people were injured in a shooting that erupted during a voting rehearsal at the beginning of September. Venezuela is awash with arms, and voters cite violent crime as their No. 1 concern. There have been gunshots and clashes at previous opposition rallies, but no deaths.

Capriles has hammered populist Chavez daily for his record on day-to-day problems like crime, blackouts and shoddy infrastructure and drew a frank response from the president.

“Efficiency: that is one of my promises for the next period. We have to correct things” Chavez said on Sunday in his most direct comment on a theme the opposition hopes could sway former “Chavistas” into their camp.

Chavez has acknowledged Venezuelans' frustration with grassroots problems in his recent campaign speeches, but said things would be far worse under Capriles, who he paints as a heartless capitalist elitist.

Capriles, 40, is a state governor with a centrist view of a Brazilian-style, pro-business government with strong welfare policies. Both men have spent time in prison - Chavez for a failed military coup in 1992 and Capriles for a fracas outside the Cuban Embassy during a short putsch against Chavez in 2002.

With one week to go, polls are mixed, leading both sides to claim they are heading for victory. Venezuelans are fearful of violence if the result is close and disputed. Of the six best-known pollsters in Venezuela, a majority put Chavez ahead, but they also show Capriles creeping up in recent weeks. Two polls put Capriles just ahead of Chavez.

Despite two bouts of cancer since mid-2011, Chavez has declared himself completely cured and is trying to recapture his old energy to win another six-year term. He was campaigning in two states on Sunday