(AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuelan presidential candidate Henrique Capriles is calling for "balanced elections" and criticizing the use of government money and slanted coverage in state media as President Hugo Chavez seeks re-election.

The winner of Sunday's opposition primary vote is also criticizing Chavez's economic policies, saying his expropriations of companies have been a failure.

Capriles warned that newly stiffened price controls won't work and that affected items such as deodorant will become scarce.

Capriles said at a news conference Monday that after the vote, "Venezuela woke up with a new political reality."

The 39-year-old opposition candidate is governor of Miranda state and will face Chavez in an Oct. 7 election.