Yes, Hugo Chavez was officially re-elected on Sunday 7 October with a total share of 54.5% of the vote. He has now been in office for 14 years. It was quite a close election, with the opposition candidate, Henrique Capriles, gaining just under 50%. This means Capriiles has come closer to defeating Chavez than any other candidate so far - previously he has won by margins of 10% or more, once even managing to win by 26%.
In spite of a number of scandals, including accusations of human rights abuses, at least one attempted coup and his own health problems - which may make it difficult for him to serve his next term - Chavez has remained popular with many Venezuelans. He is seen as standing up for the ordinary people against powerful international business interests, in particular those of the US. With Venezuela's huge oil reserves, the policies of its leader are of great importance to the outside world, so other nations will be watching Chavez's next moves carefully.