Hugo Chavez, President until 2019

Thousands of followers of Hugo Chavez met in front of the Miraflores Palace, at Caracas, Venezuela.

Chavez, 58 and ruling since 1999, has been re-elected to the presidency of Venezuela for a period of six years.

The Chairperson of the National Electoral Council, Tibisay Lucena, announced that Chavez got 54.42% of votes, 7.4 million, while the opposition candidate Henrique Capriles, met 44.97%, 6.1 million.

Almost at midnight, Chavez congratulated the opposition for having recognized the “truth” of his victory and invited his opponents to dialogue.

“I congratulate the candidate, the President, I send our congratulations and I wish that he reads with greatness the expression of our people today,” said Capriles. (MZ)