Venezuela Sets April 14 Elections

CARACAS, Venezuela (TheStreet) -- Venezuelans will go to the polls on April 14 to choose a successor to Hugo Chavez, the socialist leader who died Tuesday following a battle with cancer.

The South American nation's National Electoral Council announced the special elections on Saturday.

Also Saturday, the opposition coalition announced that it had chosen Miranda state governor Henrique Capriles as its candidate, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Capriles, who ran against Chavez in elections in October, wrote on his Twitter page Saturday that he was analyzing the electoral council's declaration and would tell the country in the coming hours whether he will run.

If Capriles decides to run, he will go up against interim President Nicolas Maduro, Chavez's hand-picked successor.

Chavez, a controversial figure and fierce critic of the U.S., recently returned to Venezuela after receiving treatment for cancer in Cuba. The 58-year old had served as the country's president since 1999.