Close Call

Chávez Wins Re-Election in Venezuela

According to election officials.

Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez survived a close race with an energetic challenger, election officials in the country said Sunday night. The announcement was based on partial results from Sunday's election, which brought thousands of Venezuelans flooding to polling stations across the South American nation and at consulates in the U.S. Henrique Capriles challenged Chávez on crime and cronyism, and opened a national debate on what type of government the citizens of Venezuela wanted. Capriles was seen as a threat because of his vigor on the campaign trail, which was a sharp comparison to Chávez's recent feeble health.