Chavez hails landslide election victory as defeat for 'devil' Bush

Mr Chavez secured about 61 per cent of Sunday's vote and immediately told supporters that his third term would see an "expansion of the revolution" that has seen the establishment of social programmes for the poor using the country's oil wealth.

"Long live the revolution. Venezuela is demonstrating that a new and better world is possible and we are building it," Mr Chavez said from the balcony of the presidential palace on Sunday evening. Repeating an attack on the US President, George Bush, he said: "It's another defeat for the devil, who tries to dominate the world. Down with imperialism."

While Mr Chavez has said his third term would be his most radical yet, analysts said Washington could yet step up efforts to undermine him - something it has previously done by directing millions of dollars to opposition groups in Venezuela. In 2002, the Bush administration tacitly supported a coup against Mr Chavez.

"If Chavez is prudent he will lower the rhetoric and get on with administrating his extremely successful domestic programmes. He has had this success because he is the first leader to put money behind these programmes," said Larry Birns of the Washington-based Council on Hemispheric Affairs. "[A big question] is whether the Bush administration is prepared to allow Venezuela to continue with its leftist rhetoric ... If Washington sees this as a declaration of war, that is going to be a very ominous decision for the Bush administration to take."

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http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article2040125.ece