Caracas,:  Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has won a new six-year mandate, according to partial election results released by the National Electoral Council (CNE).
 
With 78 percent of ballots counted late Sunday, the left-wing populist Chavez, 52, had more than 61 percent of the votes to over 38 percent for his social democratic challenger Manuel Rosales, according to the CNE.
 
CNE President Tibisay Lucena said Chavez had 5.9 million votes to Rosales' 3.7 million, so that the incumbent appeared to have an insurmountable advantage to win the election.

Opposition candidate Manuel Rosales conceded defeat to incumbent Chavez. Social democrat Rosales, 53, is the governor of the oil-rich state of Zulia.

Rosales said that his own projections point to a narrower margin but acknowledged Chavez's victory.
 
"I thank the millions of Venezuelans who supported me. I thank the populace for its civic, democratic, positive behaviour," Rosales said.
 
He said that his candidacy was forced to fight on unequal terms against the government and stressed that popular support for his candidacy grew throughout the campaign.
 
"We admit that they defeated us today, but we will remain in the battle on the street. This is not the time to surrender," Rosales said.

Chavez appeared at the balcony of the Palace of Miraflores to thousands of supporters gathered despite falling rain in central Caracas. The former military officer led the singing of Venezuela's national anthem.
 
"Long live Venezuela! Long live the Venezuelan people! Long live the triumph of the socialist revolution!" Chavez said.
 
He promised an expansion of the revolution to socialism.
 
Chavez's speech contained his usual attacks against the US.


 "Today was yet another lesson for US imperialism," he said.

Immediately after the preliminary results were announced, thousands of Chavez supporters - mostly wearing the red that they have adopted as their colour - went out onto the streets of Caracas and other cities to sing and celebrate.
 
A harsh critic of the US government, Chavez became president of oil-rich Venezuela in 1999 and was re-elected in 2000 after changing the constitution and extending the presidential mandate to six years.