With just over a week to go before the presidential election in Venezuela, one of the main political parties, Democratic Action, has dropped its candidate, Luis Alfaro.

Despite Mr Alfaro's objections, the party leadership said they now supported the independent, Henrique Salas Romer.

Mr Romer is widely seen as the only realistic challenger to Hugo Chavez.

Mr Chavez, a former soldier who attempted a coup in 1992, leads the opinion polls for the December the sixth election.

Correspondents say Mr Chavez, who has promised a radical overhaul of Venezuela's democratic institutions, has upset the country's ruling elite but found a receptive audience among many Venezuelans who accuse the traditional parties of mismanaging the economy.