Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has scoffed at the idea of a debate with rival Henrique Capriles ahead of elections this autumn, dismissing his opponent as unworthy.
"A debate? With whom?" Chavez, 57, said Monday, after being asked whether he would debate Capriles, 39, his center-left opponent in the October 7 presidential poll.
"I would be really embarrassed in one of those things, because there is nothing there" to debate, Chavez said, likening himself to a world-class boxer and his opponent to a third-rate amateur.
Capriles fired back on the micro-blogging website Twitter, writing "the candidate of backwardness could never debate anyone. He only knows how to insult and discredit, with worn out and tedious speech."
Chavez registered last week as a candidate for reelection.
If he were to be reelected and serve out his term through 2019, Chavez would end up spending 20 years in office.
Capriles, center-left candidate for a united opposition, is the governor of the state of Miranda. He has laid out a policy platform focused on combating violence, creating jobs and boosting social programs.
Chavez confirmed Monday that he will meet in Caracas with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad after his Iranian counterpart takes part in the Rio+20 conference in Brazil.
Chavez said that Iran and Venezuela engage in military cooperation.