In this week’s roundup… Three million Venezuelans came out to the polls in Sunday’s primary election; Henrique Capriles Radonski won with an overwhelming 62 percent of the vote, and his primary opponents immediately vowed to support him; the opposition resisted the government’s order to turn over voter lists. Meanwhile, Chávez instituted a new round of price controls and shipped oil to war-torn Syria, potentially undermining Western sanctions against the country and its repressive leader, Bashar al-Assad.

Venezuela’s Capriles wins primary, seeks to beat Chávez, Reuters

Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles easily won a primary election on Sunday to become the unity candidate against President Hugo Chávez, vowing to end 13 years of socialist rule that he said has left the OPEC nation in crisis.

Chávez Opponent Surges in Venezuela, The Wall Street Journal

An intense young governor, part of a new generation of Venezuelan politicians, will be facing off against an ailing President Hugo Chávez after winning a landslide primary victory Sunday.

Chávez’s Challenger, The New York Times

A lot was at stake in Sunday’s opposition primary beyond figuring out who would take on Hugo Chávez in the presidential election this fall. Venezuelans wanted to know whether the chronically splintered opposition could get its act together enough to unite behind a single, credible contender.

And in the blue corner…, The Economist

More than a few supporters of the opposition to Hugo Chávez, Venezuela’s president, awoke on February 13th feeling the need to pinch themselves. The results of the open primary elections the night before, designed above all to pick a candidate to frustrate Mr Chávez’s bid for re-election in October, exceeded all expectations. The winner, as widely predicted, was Henrique Capriles, the governor of the state of Miranda.

Venezuela opposition: Row erupts over voter list, BBC News

Venezuela’s opposition says it has destroyed the list of voters in Sunday’s primary election, despite a court order that they be preserved. The Democratic Unity coalition said the records had been burned in accordance with a promise to ensure confidentiality.

Venezuelans Resist Order to Turn Over Voter Names, The New York Times

A furor has erupted in Venezuela over voter secrecy in an opposition primary election held on Sunday to choose a candidate to run against President Hugo Chávez, with political leaders expressing fear that the government might seek reprisals against voters if their names are publicized.

Despite housing pledges from Chávez, Venezuela’s homeless call racetrack home, The Washington Post

Venezuela already faced a housing shortage of 2 million units, the government’s own statistics show, with the state only managing to build a third of the 100,000 new units needed each year. Julio Borges, an opposition deputy in the National Assembly who frequently clashes with Chávez on housing issues, said governments that preceded Chávez’s built more housing.

Venezuela to Begin Presenting Regulated Price Caps to Companies, Bloomberg Businessweek

Venezuela will begin to present regulated prices to about 385 companies that produce personal care and cleaning products including Colgate-Palmolive Co., Procter & Gamble Co. and Unilever NV today.

Venezuela Gives Pepsi Venture 4 Days to Provide Water Receipts, Bloomberg

Pepsi-Cola Venezuela CA has four days to provide receipts to the government after the country’s price control agency received complaints that the company raised its price for mineral water ahead of price caps.

Exclusive: Venezuela ships fuel to war-torn Syria, Reuters

The government of Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez is emerging as a rare supplier of diesel to Syria, potentially undermining Western sanctions and helping the Syrian government fuel its military in the middle of a bloody crackdown on civilian protests.

Venezuela’s oil industry: Spilling over, The Economist

On February 4th Hugo Chávez, Venezuela’s president, held festivities to celebrate the anniversary of a failed coup attempt he led in 1992. He had busloads of public workers brought into Caracas for the occasion. Among them were high-ranking employees of PDVSA, the state oil company. That same day, a pipeline carrying pressurised oil fractured in the state of Monagas.