Controversial Hugo Chavez has been re-elected as president of Venezuela for a fourth term after almost 14 years in office.

He survived the closest-run contest yet following a bitter campaign in which the opposition accused him of unfairly using Venezuela’s oil wealth and his near total control of state institutions to his advantage.

After a long wait for the results, fireworks exploded over Caracas amid a cacophony of horn-honking by elated Chavez supporters waving flags and jumping for joy outside the presidential palace.

“Thank you my dear people!!! Viva Venezuela!!!” Mr Chavez wrote on Twitter after the results were published. “Thank you God! Thank you to all of you!”

With 90% of votes counted, the socialist had more than 54% of the vote to 45% for challenger Henrique Capriles, a 40-year-old former state governor who unified and energised the opposition.

In the 2006 election, Mr Chavez had 62% of the vote – a 25-point lead over his rival.

But Mr Capriles’ promises to seriously address violent crime that has spun out of control, streamline a patronage-bloated bureaucracy and end rampant corruption proved inadequate against Mr Chavez’s charisma, well-oiled political machine and a legacy of putting Venezuela’s poor first with generous social welfare programmes.

In the months before the election Mr Chavez had spent heavily, building public housing and bankrolling expanded social programmes.

From a balcony of the presidential palace and holding up a sword that once belonged to 19th century independence hero Simon Bolivar, he rallied thousands of his supporters and said: “The revolution has triumphed!”

Chavez criticized the speech, the United States

The crowd responded chanting: “Chavez won’t go!”

Mr Chavez will now have a freer hand to push for an even bigger state role in the economy and continue populist programmes. He is also likely to further limit dissent and deepen friendships with rivals of the US.

He spoke little during the campaign about his fight with cancer, which since June 2011 has included surgery to remove tumours from his pelvic region as well as chemotherapy and radiation treatment. He has said his most recent tests showed no sign of illness.

He is a strong opponent of the US, once accusing the Bush administration of “fighting terror with terror” during the war in Afghanistan.

[adrotate banner=”32″]