Maduro declares victory in Venezuela election to succeed Hugo Chavez

CARACAS // Venezuela’s acting President Nicolas Maduro was declared the winner of the election to succeed his late mentor Hugo Chavez by a razor-thin margin over an opponent that voiced fears of vote manipulation.

Fireworks erupted after the National Electoral Council announced that near complete results showed Mr Maduro had won with just 50.66 percent of the vote compared to 49.1 percent for opposition rival Henrique Capriles -- a difference of less than 300,000 votes.

“This victory is another tribute to our comandante Hugo Chavez,” the 50-year-old Mr Maduro said in front of cheering supporters at the Miraflores presidential palace.

“Today we can say that we had a fair electoral triumph,” he added, saying he was open to an audit of the close vote tally.

Mr Capriles has refused to recognise the presidential vote result.

Named by Mr Chavez as his political heir, Mr Maduro rode a wave of grief for the late leader, who ruled Venezuela for 14 years with a socialist revolution that made him popular among the poor while disenchanting others fed up with the weak economy.

Mr Maduro has vowed to continue the oil-funded policies that cut poverty by almost half to 29 per cent through popular health, education and food programs.

But he also inherits a litany of problems left behind by his mentor: South America’s highest murder rate, with 16,000 people killed last year, chronic food shortages, high inflation and recurring power outages.

Opinion polls had given Mr Maduro leads of 10 to 20 points during the campaign, but Mr Capriles -- who lost to Chavez by 11 points in October polls -- energised the opposition in his second shot at the presidency.

Hundreds of Chavistas began to celebrate in front of the Miraflores presidential palace well before the results were announced, launching fireworks, dancing and holding pictures of Mr Maduro and Mr Chavez.

“This is a very important victory for the future of the country. This is the legacy of our comandante, who is no longer here. But he left us Maduro and he will defend his project,” said Rafael Perez Camarero, 29.

Before the results were disclosed, Mr Capriles warned on Twitter that there was an “intention to change the choice expressed by the people.” He did not immediately react to the official results announced by the electoral council.

The 40-year-old opposition leader charged that there were attempts to let people vote after polling stations closed. Earlier, he accused the government of pressuring civil servants to vote for Mr Maduro.

Maduro campaign manager Jorge Rodriguez called the tweet “a provocation” while Vice President Jorge Arreaza -- Chavez’s son-in-law -- warned Mr Capriles to be “very careful.”

Both candidates had pledged during the campaign to recognize the vote results.