CARACAS, April 15 (RIA Novosti) - The late Hugo Chavez’s protégé, socialist candidate Nicolas Maduro, has narrowly won Sunday’s presidential election in Venezuela, the country’s electoral authority said.
Maduro won 50.7 percent of the vote, whereas his rival, Miranda state Governor Henrique Capriles, gained 49.1 percent, according to preliminary official results announced by the National Electoral Council.
During his election campaign, Maduro, 50, pledged to push forward Chavez's “21st century socialism,” which brought popular health, education and food programs to the poor. Capriles, 40, vowed to bring change to the nation of 29 million people if elected.
Chavez, who had ruled Venezuela for 14 years, died on March 5 at the age of 58 after a two-year-long fight with cancer. He named Maduro as his successor before undergoing the latest surgery in December.
Capriles has refused to recognize his rival's victory and called for a recount, citing irregularities in the vote. Maduro insisted that the election results are legitimate.
