Venezuela's acting president invokes an ancient curse against those who vote against him.
Campaigning has always been a dirty business, but Venezuela's acting President Nicolas Maduro has added an element of the surreal in his quest to succeed Hugo Chavez.
According to Reuters, Maduro invoked the 'Curse of Macarapana" on any Venezuelan who dared to vote against him (the curse refers to a "16th-century Battle of Macarapana when Spanish colonial fighters massacred local Indian forces").
â??If anyone among the people votes against Nicolas Maduro, he is voting against himself, and the curse of Macarapana is falling on him,â? he reportedly said.
When not summoning ancient evils, Maduro has raised more conventional specters, claiming that hit men hired by the U.S. had been attempting to kill him and sabotage the country's electrical grid.
Maduro holds a lead in the polls over opposition leader Henrique Capriles. The election will be held on April 14.
(AP Photo)