Henrique Capriles Radonski is the opposition candidate challenging Hugo Chavez in Venezuela's October presidential election. Analysts expect that Capriles' Jewish ancestry could be used against him during his campaign. His maternal grandparents were Jewish refugees from Europe who arrived in Venezuela during World War II, but while Capriles is proud of his Jewish ancestry, he is a devout Catholic.
Hugo Chavez has courted controversy throughout his tenure with anti-Western rhetoric and vocal support for Iran. Now analysts think his supporters might turn the 39-year-old Miranda governor's Jewish ancestry into an issue with an anti-Semitic smear campaign. Jewish advocacy groups have noted that a local paper placed a Star of David on a picture of Capriles. This is nothing new for Capriles, and anti-Semitic rhetoric has been used against him in the past when he was accused of being part of a Jewish conspiracy.
