40-årig politiker samlede for første gang hele oppositionen om sit kandidatur til Venezuelas præsidentpost mod en skrantende Chavez, men i sidste ende klarede den venstreorienterede præsident skærene.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has hailed a “perfect victory”, after defeating Henrique Capriles to secure a fourth term in office, BBC online reports Monday .
Mr Chavez won 54,66 per cent of the vote, to Mr Capriles’ 44,73 per cent, the electoral council announced, with turnout at about 81 per cent.
Brandishing a replica of the sword of independence hero Simon Bolivar, he pledged Venezuela would continue its “march towards democratic socialism”.
Mr Chavez accepted that there had been a significant opposition vote, reducing his victory margin from 27 points in 2006 to just 10 points over Mr Capriles.
Henrique Capriles urged Mr Chavez to work for all Venezuelans hoping that he would recognise that almost half the country disagreed with his policies.
Mr Chavez, 58, was diagnosed with cancer last year but says he is now fully recovered. He has been in power since 1999 and has nationalised key sectors of the economy.
Venezuela is a major oil producer and high oil prices have allowed his government to fund healthcare, education programmes and social housing.
In his campaign, Mr Capriles, who headed a coalition of 30 opposition parties, said the president’s policies had led to bureaucracy, inefficiency and shortages.
Mr Chavez’s victory will be welcomed by several countries in the region – including Cuba and Nicaragua – that benefit from his Petrocaribe scheme which provides Venezuelan oil at preferential rates.
His new six-year term will begin on 10 January.
