Chavez: I'd Vote For Obama, He'd Vote For Me

(AP) Hugo Chavez says he’d vote for Obama
CARACAS, Venezuela

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has weighed in on the U.S. presidential race, saying he prefers President Barack Obama.

Chavez also said in a televised interview that aired Sunday that he’d like to have “normal” relations with the U.S. government.

The Venezuelan leader says, in his words, “If I were American, I’d vote for Obama.”

Chavez is running for re-election, seeking another six years in office in an Oct. 7 vote. Democratic U.S. President Obama faces Republican Mitt Romney in his November re-election bid.

Venezuela has had tense relations with the U.S. for the years, and the two countries’ embassies have been without ambassadors since 2010.