News

President Hugo Chavez wins re-election by wide margin

NU Online  ·  Senin, 4 Desember 2006 | 04:53 WIB

Caracas, NU Online
President Hugo Chavez won re-election by a wide margin on Sunday, giving him six more years to redistribute Venezuela’s vast oil wealth to the poor and broaden his crusade against U.S. influence in Latin America and beyond.

Challenger Manuel Rosales conceded defeat but vowed to remain in opposition. “We will continue in this struggle,” he told cheering supporters.

<>With 78 percent of voting stations reporting, Chavez had 61percent to 38 percent for challenger Manuel Rosales, said Tibisay Lucena, head of the country’s elections council. Chavez had nearly 6 million votes versus 3.7 million for Rosales. Turnout was 62 percent, according to an official bulletin, making the lead insurmountable. (ap/dar)