I'm leaving the country in the next year or so......

CARACAS, Venezuela (CNN) -- Anti-American socialist Hugo Chavez said his
claimed victory in the Venezuelan presidential election was "another defeat for the devil" after the bulk of returns showed him leading challenger Manuel Rosales by a wide margin.

With 78 percent of the votes counted by Sunday night, the National Electoral Council reported Chavez leading Rosales by a margin of 61 percent to 38 percent. Rosales, a provincial governor from the country's oil patch, conceded defeat late Sunday but disputed the margin of his loss.

Chavez thanked supporters gathered outside Miraflores Palace for the win. He also thanked his opponents and urged them to join him in continuing his efforts to remake the country in his self-styled socialist revolution.

"Long live the socialist revolution! Destiny has been written," Chavez shouted to thousands of flag-waving supporters wearing red shirts, according to The Associated Press.

"That new era has begun," he declared with religious fervor, raising a hand in the air. "We have shown that Venezuela is red! ... No one should fear socialism... Socialism is human. Socialism is love."

An outspoken opponent of U.S. policies in Latin America, Chavez was seeking a second full term as leader of oil-rich Venezuela. He was first elected in 1998, re-elected under a new constitution in 2000 and survived a recall attempt by opponents in 2004.

"It's another defeat for the devil, who tries to dominate the world," Chavez told his adoring masses. "Down with imperialism! We need a new world!"
Chavez has used the country's oil wealth to improve services for the country's poor majority, but opponents accuse him of trying to turn Venezuela into a Cuban-style dictatorship. Rosales said he would try to keep the fractured opposition together after Sunday's vote.

He was briefly ousted by a failed coup in 2002, a plot he blamed on the United States. Bush administration officials denied the allegation, but have made no secret of their displeasure with the Venezuelan leader.

The 52-year-old former paratrooper, once jailed for leading a coup attempt himself, has bolstered ties with Cuba and supported other leftist leaders in South America during his presidency.

And in September, Chavez rankled U.S. officials by telling the U.N. General Assembly -- a day after President Bush addressed the session -- that "The devil came here yesterday, and it smells of sulfur still today."

When polls opened Sunday, lines stretched for more than half a mile at some precincts in Caracas -- a situation that raised red flags with some voters.

"They're slowing down the vote," said Rosana Cagiano, an unemployed Caracas resident. "The government's hoping to tire us out so they can play their dirty tricks."

Polls closed at 4 p.m. Sunday (2000 GMT), but election officials said anyone standing in line when polls closed would be allowed to cast ballots.

CNN's Karl Penhaul contributed to this report.

Copyright 2006 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

nothing worst than the easy money from a natural resource...

Was this vote pretty much along class lines?

If nothing else the megalomaniac is incredibly entertaining from a distance, that is a very great distance.

Entretaining ...oh yeah....he is so full of shit that is almost unreal.

You will see Venezuelan migrating all over the world, because in 1-2 years this country will go depeer into the hell we are now.

Does Venezuela have a dominant state owned media, or are there still independent media sources operating?

We do have private media and some level of freedom of speech.

But we also have a big media network (radio – news – TV Stations) that are pro – government, that does not invite opposition politician to their shows, that are entirely devoted to promote one individual (Chavez) and that get exclusive access to the president, ministers and government agencies. It is a shame to watch them praise everything this guy does, but I understand their job is on the line

Chavez strategy has always been to develop a huge state presence in all areas. Oil company, government agencies, private business (financed by the government) are a few examples. Only pro-Chavez people can get those jobs. If you don’t go to their meetings, if you don’t wear a red t-shirt with his face, if you don’t attend their rallies YOU ARE OUT. Those people voted for Chavez for one reason = they want their jobs. And the bigger the state owned finance are the less chance we have to turn this around

There is no dissidence allowed. They are consolidating political parties; they want just ONE pro chavez party. If you disagree in one word with him YOU ARE OUT.

I don’t want socialism, I don’t want to have my children educated under their “Bolivarian schools” where they teach how great Cuba is and how happy they are.

So, unless there is a miracle around here, I’m leaving with my family someplace else ASAP.

Sorry to hear about your plight. Unfortunately, Socialism is a nice idea but in practice it has proven to fail and can foster this kind of oppression.

Hopefully you will be able to escape from Chavez and his pie-in-the-sky idealism. There are many places you could go, but speaking as an American we enjoy all of the freedoms that you have been denied.

Take care.

Dont get fooled, Chavez just pretend to be idealistic.