Hugo Chavez reelected as Venezuelan President

USPA News - Venezuela`s Hugo Chavez on Sunday was announced as the country`s reelected president. Chavez, 58, received 54.42 percent during Sunday`s presidential election, almost 10 percent more than Henrique Capriles` 44.97 percent, according to Venezuela`s National Electoral Council (CNE). CNE`s president, Tbibsay Lucena, made the announcement, saying the council had counted 90 percent of the votes.

Before making the announcement, she noted that the elections had a high number of participants, one of the country`s highest turnouts in the past decades. Capriles congratulated Chavez, accepting the elections` preliminary reports, which would have Chavez leading the country for 20 years at the end of his new six-year presidential term. Born in Sabaneta, Venezuela, Chavez first assumed office in February 1999 after a career as a military officer. The leftist president has shown strong alliance with Cuba`s leadership and has been surrounded by political controversy both nationally and internationally. In June 2011, Chavez addressed the public from Havana, Cuba, confirming that he had been receiving medical treatment for a cancerous tumor. He would later state that the tumor had been completely removed and was recovering adequately. Around three months before the year`s elections, and after three surgeries and several chemotherapy sessions, Chavez stated that he had fully recovered from cancer.