Being the politically pessimistic person that I am, I have said for the last several months that not only will Hugo Chavez be re-elected as president of Venezuela on October 7, but that if opposition candidate Henrique Capriles Radonski comes out of this alive, it will be a minor miracle. While the latter is still unfortunately true, (there have been several attacks against the young Capriles while on the campaign trail) a Chavez victory is no longer a given. There really might be a Camino out of Chavismo.

Over the last 90 days the Capriles campaign has electrified the country. His team has successfully created the image of a fiercely strong, vibrant leader. On the campaign trail he is an unstoppable force, hoofing it through towns the current president has never set foot in, connecting on a personal level with voters of all socio-economic levels. In recent weeks, he has been greeted with nothing less than euphoria at rallies around the country, including his close of campaign in Caracas on September 30.

It is hard to estimate how many hundreds of thousands of people participated in the march that culminated along Avenida Simon Bolivar in downtown Caracas, but one thing is certain: energy was so high that the city was quaking. Photos speak louder than words; the following are just a few snapshots, most of which I took from the vantage point of a motorcycle crisscrossing the city and from a lamppost I climbed.

The actual event was something akin to what I imagine seeing a re-incarnated Michael Jackson plus Justin Bieber in concert would be like. Beginning at 9am streets were flooded with thousands of people, not just walking, but dancing, singing and cheering their way toward the city center. Those that couldn’t make it close to the stage hung out of windows of neighboring buildings, stood on bridges or just stood within earshot to hear opening bands like Caramelos de Cianuro. The teleprompter showed images of the young Capriles, affectionately called el flaco presidente, as he energetically threw baseball caps into the crowd. “He’s almost here!” the MC encouraged the multitude within earshot.

It seems that every stumbling block Chavez has thrown in front of Capriles has backfired. Chavistas tried to label him as gay for not being married; now landing a kiss on HCR as he campaigns has turned into a national sport for women. One young lady at yesterday’s event, conveniently located 2 centimeters away from my ear, emitted continuous shrieks akin to “te amo papi,” throughout the speech. Chavez also tried to ban the campaign’s use of Venezuelan flag baseball caps. Now it’s a major fashion statement, and even if the cap has no political reference, it is an obvious sign of support.

No one knows what the outcome will be on October 7. Will pessimists like me who say that vote-rigging and fear-mongering (vote the wrong way and lose your job) prevail? Hard to tell, but optimists say that win or lose, the campaign has changed the country for the better and created a point of no return. This pessimist is considering switching teams.