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GUESTS: Antonio Padrino, Venezuela General Consul in Houston, Texas, Ruben Barrios, Ministry of Popular Economy, Jorge Marin, election observer and coordinator of the Bolivarian Circle in Boston, Angela Thielen, interpreter

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez cruised to an easy re-election victory in yesterday’s Presidential elections. He has earned another six year term which will take his presidency into the year 2013. Preliminary results from Venezuela’s Electoral Council show that Chavez triumphed by 61.4% of the votes to his opponent’s 38.4%. The electoral council announced that as soon as 80% of the votes were counted, the official results of yesterday’s presidential election will be released. Opposition candidate Manuel Rosales conceded defeat last night after the Venezuelan Electoral Council announced a 23 point lead with 78% of the ballots counted. Chavez, who dedicated his re-election victory to Cuba’s ailing leader Fidel Castro, has promised to expand his Bolivarian revolution in his second term of office. Speaking to supporters in Caracas from the balcony of the presidential palace, Chavez declared that “Venezuela is demonstrating that a new and better world is possible and we are building it.”