Chavez in Caracas, Venezuela. (Reuters)

Caracas (Venezuela), Dec. 4 (Reuters): Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez stormed to a re-election victory in yesterday’s vote, handing him an ample mandate to broaden his promised socialist revolution and challenge Washington’s influence in Latin America.

Dressed in his signature red shirt, Chavez told cheering supporters at his presidential palace late yesterday that his landslide victory was a blow to President George W. Bush’s administration.

“Today we gave another lesson in dignity to the imperialists, it is another defeat for the empire of Mr Danger,” Chavez roared from a balcony above the crowds using one of the insults he has tossed at the US President.

The former soldier’s victory will further rile the White House, which worries about Chavez destabilising Latin America neighbours and strengthening ties between the Opec heavyweight Venezuela and Cuba and Iran.

The National Electoral Council said Chavez won 61 per cent of the vote while rival Manuel Rosales, a governor of an oil-producing province, won 38 per cent after nearly 80 per cent of the vote had been counted.

Chavez supporters fired off fireworks in the capital and drove through Caracas chanting: “Hey ho, Chavez will not go” to celebrate his securing six more years in office. Chavez is the fourth leftist to win an election in Latin America in the past five weeks.

Ecuador’s Rafael Correa won a run-off last week after promising reforms.