U.S.: Venezuelan Opposition Views Should Be Considered

The United States on Monday voiced hope that the Venezuelan opposition's views would not be ignored, after leftist President Hugo Chavez, in power for 14 years, won re-election again.

"We believe that the views of the more than six million people who voted for the opposition should be taken into account going forward," said William Ostick, the State Department's spokesman for the Western Hemisphere.

"We congratulate the Venezuelan people for the high turnout and generally peaceful manner in which this election was carried out," he added in an email.

Chavez, a staunchly anti-American leftist, emerged victorious again despite health scares, growing discontent and a strong opposition challenge.

With nearly all the votes counted, Chavez had 7,731,972, or 54.66 percent, compared to 6,327,429, or 44.73 percent, for his youthful opponent, center-left former Miranda state governor Henrique Capriles.