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debate performance and pressing a populist message.
• "These are tough years for the middle class and the poor in America," he told more than 6,000 supporters Saturday night at an amphitheater in Apopka, Fla., near Orlando.
• He later shared his personal connection to three people who have died, including a former classmate who attended one of his rallies despite being wheelchair bound.
• Romney said he whispered in his friend's ear, "I love ya and God bless ya."
• ___
Chavez or Capriles? Venezuelans vote Sunday in pivotal election for bitterly divided nation
• CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- President Hugo Chavez's long run in power and his attempts to transform Venezuela into a socialist state are on the line Sunday in a closely fought presidential election for this bitterly divided nation.
• The vote pitting Chavez against challenger Henrique Capriles is an all-or-nothing contest between two camps that deeply distrust each other and question whether the other side will respect the results of the election.
• The stakes couldn't be higher.
• If Chavez wins, he will have a free hand to dominate Venezuela for six more years on top of the 14 years he has already been in office, letting him push for an even bigger state role in the economy and cement his legacy.
• If Capriles wins, it will likely mean an abrupt shift in foreign policy, an eventual loosening of state economic controls and an increase in private investment -- though a tense transition would likely follow until the inauguration in January.
• ___
Philippines, Muslim rebels announce preliminary peace pact after marathon talks
• MANILA, Philippines (AP) -- Philippine President Benigno Aquino III said Sunday that his government has reached a preliminary peace agreement with the country's largest Muslim rebel group in a major breakthrough toward ending a decades-long insurgency.
• Aquino described the deal in a nationally televised announcement as a "framework agreement" -- a roadmap for establishing a new autonomous region to be administered by minority Muslims in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation's south. It follows marathon negotiations between the government and the Moro Is (Continued on page 21)
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