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Chavez named presidential victor Chavez named presidential victor
(about 2 hours later)
President Hugo Chavez has been declared the winner of Venezuela's presidential election in a ceremony in the capital.President Hugo Chavez has been declared the winner of Venezuela's presidential election in a ceremony in the capital.
He tallied nearly 63% of the final vote, which put him 25 points ahead of opposition candidate Manuel Rosales. Mr Chavez received nearly 63% of the final vote, 25 points ahead of his main rival, Manuel Rosales.
Mr Chavez has described Sunday's victory as "another defeat for the devil, who tries to dominate the world", a clear reference to the US. Addressing supporters in Caracas, he said there would be complete freedom of expression and political participation during his next six-year term.
US officials have acknowledged that Mr Chavez won by a definitive margin, and tried to strike a conciliatory tone. He praised his opponents for accepting defeat, and said his win showed support for a radical turn towards socialism.
Tom Shannon - the top US diplomat on Latin America - told the BBC that Mr Chavez's victory offered both sides a chance to improve their fractured relationship. "Those who voted for me didn't vote for me. They voted for the socialist plan, to build a profoundly different Venezuela," Mr Chavez said.
"This is a time in which, following the election, we can look at the areas where historically we've worked together well," he said. "The path of this republic is a revolution, a democratic revolution, a social revolution, a political revolution, an economic revolution," he said.
"Whether it's on the fight against drugs, the fight against terrorism, promoting a commercial relationship with Venezuela or, most importantly of all, our energy relationship, and see how we can construct something positive." The final results showed Mr Chavez won 7.2 million votes out of about 12 million cast. During his campaign, he said he aimed to poll 10 million votes.
'New era' 'Ready and willing'
Mr Shannon's counterpart in Caracas, Jorge Valero, said his government had always been prepared to establish a dialogue with all governments all over the world. US Ambassador William Brownfield congratulated Venezuelans on a peaceful ballot, and voiced Washington's willingness to seek a less fractious relationship with Mr Chavez.
"The problem has been that the US government didn't respect our sovereignty," he said. I want to salute the responsible opposition... It was time they assumed the attitude of true democrats President Hugo Chavez
"But if they respect our political process, they respect the decision taken by the people, my government will, of course, take into account this position." "The president was re-elected by the decision of the Venezuelan people," Mr Brownfield said in a radio interview on Tuesday.
"We recognise that and we're ready, willing and eager to explore and see if we can make progress on bilateral issues."
While the US is the most voracious consumer of Venezuelan oil, tensions have often precluded dialogue between the two nations.
Mr Chavez accuses Washington of backing a 2002 coup against him and has referred to President George W Bush as "Mr Danger" and "the devil".
President Chavez - who won elections in both 1998 and 2000 - triumphed after a campaign in which he characterised his rival as a lackey of the US.President Chavez - who won elections in both 1998 and 2000 - triumphed after a campaign in which he characterised his rival as a lackey of the US.
Addressing tens of thousands of jubilant supporters on Sunday night, Mr Chavez said: "Today a new era has started, with the expansion of the revolution." Mr Chavez has vowed to boost the social programmes that have won him support among millions of impoverished Venezuelans.
He added that Venezuela was firmly on the track to socialism. He is also expected to reform the Venezuelan constitution to remove limits on how many times he can be re-elected, enabling him to run again in 2012.
Mr Chavez has vowed that during his new six-year term, he will boost the social programmes that have won him support among millions of impoverished Venezuelans.
He is also expected to reform the Venezuelan constitution to remove any limits on how many times he can be re-elected.