Chavez addressed Uruguayan supporters for almost three hours to expound on his ideals of Latin American unity in which brotherly countries could be brought together under one flag.

Regional unity among like-minded countries, he said, was a guarantee of protection against capitalist and imperialist machinations.

The Venezuelan leader's oratorical marathon capped an extraordinary week in which he received Argentina's prestigious Rodolfo Walsh journalism award, igniting an international controversy, and condemned the coalition bombing of Libya.

After visits to Argentina and Uruguay, Chavez continued official tours of Bolivia and Colombia as part of an overall image-building strategy before the 2012 elections.

Addressing supporters at the School of Medicine in Montevideo, Chavez said, "If Venezuela was to fall again in the hands of imperialism many things would fall. Bilateral aid would fall; it would be unthinkable that Ancap (Uruguayan government's oil and gas company) could have a presence in the Orinoco (tar sands and mature wells) fields.

"We must unite, that's our only salvation," said Chavez to an audience of students and radical Uruguayan groups, MercoPress reported. Another group of students protested the visit.

The presidential tour of Latin America coincided with severe power shortages in Caracas, where electricity was cut for long periods, causing widespread disruptions.

Chavez has said he is confident of winning re-election for a third term in 2012. The Venezuelan Constitution already provides for Chavez to be re-elected without any legal hindrance, except a last-minute upset. Chavez came to power in 1999 and recent constitutional changes mean the president can have a six-year term once elected.

Chavez recalled his previous election victories and emphasized fair and transparent conditions, in contrast to previous elections when "even the dead" were found to have cast votes -- a reference to alleged ballot rigging in Venezuela's politics.

"In 2012 we are going to win again. The battle has begun and will be good," he declared. Chavez has already lavished government funds on a series of poverty reduction programs. Critics call them appeasement measures aimed at winning votes.

The press award he received in Argentina was in recognition of his regional distribution of television networks, invariably supportive of his program, at the same time as he moved against independent and privately owned media in Venezuela.

Chavez said he would use a new six-year term to deepen his Bolivarian revolution. Critics say the president's economic policies have already led to recession for a third consecutive year, a high crime rate, corruption, shortages of essential goods and frequent power outages.

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