Chavez's Political Heir Declared Winner; Opponent Demands Recount -- CNN
(CNN) -- Hugo Chavez's handpicked successor won a narrow victory in Venezuela's presidential vote, but his opponent slammed the results as illegitimate and demanded a recount.
Nicolas Maduro secured 50.7% of votes in Sunday's poll while opposition candidate Henrique Capriles Radonski won 49.1%, Venezuela's National Electoral Council said.
The council's top official, Tibisay Lucena, called the results "irreversible."
An hour later, Capriles vowed to contest them.
"I want to tell the candidate of the government: today you're the loser and I'm telling you this unequivocally. You are the loser, you and your government," he said early Monday.
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MIDDLE EAST
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