Chavez wins re-election in Venezuela

Chavez and his wife celebrate his victory

Nearly 800 other offices up for grabs in today's vote

In this story: Attacks on the oligarchy Hope of the poor Dictator-in-waiting Less words, more action RELATED STORIES, SITES

From staff and wire reports

CARACAS, Venezuela -- Venezuelans voted overwhelmingly Sunday to re-elect President Hugo Chavez -- giving the left-leaning nationalist a fresh six year term.

With 77 percent of the votes counted late Sunday, Chavez had 59 percent, while his nearest challenger, former Zulia state Gov. Francisco Arias Cardenas, received 37 percent.

Moments after the vote was announced, Chavez began to address thousands of cheering supporters from the balcony of the presidential palace -- the "balcony of the people," as Chavez called it.

Dressed in a military-style jacket and wearing his trademark red beret, Chavez said the victory signified a new chapter in Venezuela's history.

"This is one of the characteristics of the revolutionary process that is moving forward," said Chavez in a booming voice. "This is a re-legitimization by a splendid majority," he added, evoking the name of South American independence hero Simon Bolivar on several occasions.

Amid heavy voter turnout in Sunday's general elections, Chavez voted earlier in a Caracas suburb, as hundreds of supporters cheered.

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"A new republic is being born," said Chavez. Later, Chavez relaxed by playing in a softball game near the presidential palace.

Chavez asked Venezuelans to endorse his "peaceful revolution" by re-electing him -- a vote that would institutionalize Latin America's second leftist regime after Cuba.

"Hugo, nothing can stop you now," said Cuban President Fidel Castro during a live television broadcast in Cuba on Saturday.

Thousands of Venezuelans waited in lines for hours in a hot tropical sun to cast ballots filled with dozens of candidates and parties. To accommodate the crowds and compensate for technical glitches that delayed voting in some areas, the national election board ordered polling stations to stay open an extra two hours.

Cardenas cast his ballot hundreds of miles to the west of Caracas in his home state of Zulia, where he served twice as governor.

In the run-up to Sunday's elections, tensions have been rising and class divisions growing in this South American nation of 23 million. Chavez and Arias say Venezuela's democracy is at stake, and they have accused each other of having betrayed their revolutionary ideals.

Eight years ago, both men were left-leaning army officers who staged a failed 1992 military coup that Chavez led. But today, they are bitter enemies.

Attacks on the oligarchy

Chavez, 46, sees Sunday's elections for the presidency and nearly 800 other offices -- in the National Assembly, governorships and mayors offices -- as the final stage of his so-called "peaceful revolution."

He has exhorted Venezuela's poor majority -- his main constituency -- to go to the polls to "relegitimize" public offices and defeat a "rancid oligarchy" he accuses of having looted and impoverished Venezuelans for 40 years.

Last December, Chavez paved the way for this by pushing through a new constitution that Venezuelans adopted in a national referendum. It abolished the senate, extended presidential terms from five to six years, and allowed for presidential re-elections.

It even changed the country's name to Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela -- in honor of Chavez's hero, South American independence hero Simon Bolivar.

Chavez, who once aspired to play professional baseball, now favors military attire. He has made anti-corruption efforts a centerpiece of his government, and he has presided over the sacking of hundreds of judges accused of corruption.

Critics say the new constitution has concentrated too much power in Chavez's hands. They wonder if Chavez's "revolution" really amounts to exchanging one group of elites for another, and they worry over Chavez's elevation of the military in Venezuelan society.

Hope of the poor

Still, Chavez remains a charismatic figure to poor Venezuelans. He and his Fifth Republic Movement Party (MVR) has exploited a seeming contradiction in this troubled democracy: Venezuela sits on the biggest oil reserves outside the Middle East, but about 80 percent of its 23 million people are poor.

During rabble-rousing speeches at political rallies and on frequent television appearances, Chavez has blamed Venezuela's economic mess on its two old political parties, which have all but disappeared from the political landscape since he took office 18 months ago.

Chavez has labeled Arias a "traitor" and called others opposing him "squealing pigs" and "degenerates."

"The counter-revolutionaries cannot be saved by anybody," roared Chavez at a recent rally.

"I like to hear his speeches because they reach you. He tells the people the truth," said Chavez supporter Jose Escalora, 42.

Dictator-in-waiting

To Arias, 49, Chavez is taking Venezuela back to Latin America's bygone era of populism and "strongmen."

Last February, Arias gave up the governorship of oil-rich Zulia state to run for the presidency. The soft-spoken Arias, who once studied for the priesthood, has accused Chavez of being a dictator-in-waiting and turning a blind eye toward corruption by his top officials.

He has also attacked Chavez's antagonistic style and leftist agenda -- one that has seen Chavez praise Fidel Castro's communist Cuba as a "sea of happiness."

Arias criticized Chavez's rejection of a U.S. aid shipment after Venezuela's mudslide disaster last December -- part of Chavez's anti-U.S. rhetoric and nationalism that has increased friction with the United States. Chavez did invite a group of Cuban doctors to aid in the disaster relief, and he repeatedly praised their relief work.

Less words, more action

Arias has blamed Chavez for mismanaging Venezuela's economy, which contracted 7 percent last year as investors have remained cautious.

Unemployment in Venezuela's formal economy is reaching at least 15 percent, even as Venezuela's main export -- oil -- has soared to record price levels. About 50 percent of Venezuelans work in the informal sector, where there are no benefits or social safety nets.

Crime under Chavez's administration also has soared, with the murder rate up 70 percent during his brief time in the presidency.

"We are offering a government that will speak less and work more," said Arias, who is generally seen as a pro-business moderate, with his strongest appeal among middle- and upper-class Venezuelans who are weary of Chavez.

"If we do not get rid of (Chavez), we are going to have another Cuba here," said Carmen Hernandez at a recent Arias campaign rally.

When announcing his candidacy, Arias' lack of ties to discredited traditional political parties, proven experience as governor for four years, and moderate discourse of modernization and decentralization were seen as a powerful threat to Chavez's left-leaning populism.

However, most political observers say Arias lacks the charisma that helps Chavez connect with the poor.

"After the elections, the political confrontation will be left behind," Chavez told thousands of cheering supporters recently. "We will devote our hearts to the social and economic recovery of Venezuela."

Reporter Carolina Cayazzo, CNN Producer Gordon Robison, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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