Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma has congratulated Venezuela’s newly elected President Nicolas Maduro, following his victory in Sunday’s tightly raced presidential elections.
In his message, Zuma congratulated Maduro and the people of Venezuela on the successful elections.
“The government of South Africa looks forward to consolidating its relations with Venezuela under the leadership of President-elect Maduro,” said Zuma.
Building on existing diplomatic ties between the two countries, Zuma said South Africa will be represented at Maduro’s inauguration, which will be held on Friday.
Maduro narrowly won the elections with 50.75 percent of the votes, or less than a 2-point advantage over his opposition challenger Henrique Capriles, according to the National Electoral Council (CNE).
Maduro, who served as acting president after President Hugo Chavez died of cancer on March 5, will govern until 2019. – SAnews.gov.za
