Venezuela's presidential campaign officially began Sunday with President Hugo Chavez and opposition leader Henrique Capriles rallying their supporters for what promises to be a hard-fought contest leading up to the October vote.

Chavez wore his red beret, waving and blowing kisses as he greeted crowds of supporters from atop a truck that rolled from north-central Carabobo state to the nearby city of Maracay, where he spoke from a stage.

"The Bolivarian hurricane has gotten started!" Chavez told a crowd, referring to his leftist movement, the Bolivarian Revolution. "We're going to pulverize them!"

Capriles started his campaign with rallies in opposite ends of the country, in southeastern Bolivar state and in western Zulia state.

"The one who's in power, he's only interested in something, and that's staying in power," Capriles told supporters in Bolivar state. "I'm part of a new leadership. ... I'm here to look for solutions to your problems."