Maracaibo, April 14th, 2013 (Venezuelanalysis.com) – Nicolas Maduro has won the Venezuelan presidential election with 50.66 percent of the vote against 49.07 percent for opposition candidate Henrique Capriles Radonski. Maduro gave a victory speech immediately after, while Capriles initially refused to recognize the results.

The “first bulletin” results were announced by the president of the National Electoral Council (CNE), Tibisay Lucena, at around 11:20 p.m. Venezuelan time, with 99.12 percent of the votes totaled, enough to give Maduro an irreversible victory.

Nicolas Maduro received a total of 7,505,338 votes, against 7,270,403 for opposition candidate Henrique Capriles, a difference of 234,935 votes. Total turnout was 78.71 percent of the electorate.

Of twenty four states and regional entities, Capriles won a majority in eight: Zulia, Miranda, Lara, Anzoátegui, Táchira, Mérida, Nueva Esparta and Bolívar.

Maduro won a majority in the other sixteen. In the October 2012 presidential election, Hugo Chavez won a majority in all states apart from Merida and Tachira in the Andean region.

Given the closeness of the vote, Maduro’s speech focused mostly on assuring the validity of his victory, and the reliability of the electoral body.

“If they want to do an audit, then do an audit. We have complete trust in our electoral body,” he said from outside the presidential palace.

“We have the only electoral body in the world in which 54 percent of the total votes are audited,” he added.

Maduro also noted that in other countries presidents often win by slim margins, and that it is recognized as a victory, and said to opposition sectors that “this is no reason to create violence”.

CNE Rector Vicente Díaz immediately requested that 100 percent of the electoral results be audited in order to make the results more transparent.

“This tight result has lead me to request that the CNE conduct a citizens’ audit of 100 percent of the ballot boxes. The country needs it,” he said.

Maduro immediately accepted the request, and assured there was no problem in doing a complete audit.

“Let’s do it! No problem. Perhaps they will find that my victory will be larger,” he said.

Maduro supporters had gathered at the presidential palace to await the results, and remained to celebrate the victory after Maduro’s speech.

Meanwhile, opposition supporters awaited in the Caracas neighborhood of Bello Monte to hear their candidate’s concession speech.

Initial comments from various opposition leaders appeared to indicate that they were confident they had won, and that they would not accept defeat.

Capriles wrote on his Twitter account hours before the official results were released that the government was planning to “change the results”.

“We warn the country and the world that there is the intention to change the will [of the people],” he wrote.

Upon the release of the official results, Capriles held a press conference in which he claimed that the victory was “illegitimate” and refused to recognize Maduro’s victory until all ballots are audited.

“I don’t make pacts with those who are corrupt or illegitimate,” said Capriles, assuring he would not agree to accept the results.

“The one who has been defeated is you and everything you represent,” he said referring to Nicolas Maduro.

Capriles claimed that the results are not truly representative of the Venezuelan population, and assured that the Maduro government was "completely illegitimate".

Here, VA.com publishes the CNE's "first bulletin" results in full:

State Candidate Votes Percentage Distrito Capital Nicolás Maduro 651.062 51.32% Henrique Capriles 611.359 48.19% Amazonas Nicolás Maduro 35.867 51,94% Henrique Capriles 33.095 47,92% Anzoátegui Nicolás Maduro 382.599 47,31% Henrique Capriles 424.304 52,46% Apure Nicolás Maduro 134.192 61,21% Henrique Capriles 84.711 38,64% Aragua Nicolás Maduro 512.379 54,05% Henrique Capriles 432.265 45,60% Barinas Nicolás Maduro 210.667 52,00% Henrique Capriles 193.925 47,86% Bolívar Nicolás Maduro 347.332 47,75% Henrique Capriles 377.857 51,95% Carabobo Nicolás Maduro 606.772 50,39% Henrique Capriles 594.237 49,35% Cojedes Nicolás Maduro 107.370 61,15% Henrique Capriles 67.898 38,66% Delta Amacuro Nicolás Maduro 46.012 59,68% Henrique Capriles 30.909 40,09% Falcón Nicolás Maduro 264.561 53,03% Henrique Capriles 233.279 46,76% Guárico Nicolás Maduro 226.667 59,09% Henrique Capriles 156.288 40,74% Lara Nicolás Maduro 457.670 47,31% Henrique Capriles 507.074 52,42% Mérida Nicolás Maduro 201.200 42,81% Henrique Capriles 267.997 57,02% Miranda Nicolás Maduro 734.719 47,24% Henrique Capriles 814.224 52,35% Monagas Nicolás Maduro 259.321 55,36% Henrique Capriles 208.102 44,43% Nueva Esparta Nicolás Maduro 125.143 46,90% Henrique Capriles 141.236 52,94% Portuguesa Nicolás Maduro 297.469 65,19% Henrique Capriles 157.465 34,51% Sucre Nicolás Maduro 265.243 57,45% Henrique Capriles 195.797 42,41% Táchira Nicolás Maduro 233.249 36,90% Henrique Capriles 397.810 62,94% Trujillo Nicolás Maduro 232.684 59,73% Henrique Capriles 156.024 40,05% Vargas Nicolás Maduro 117.522 56,93% Henrique Capriles 88.013 42,63% Yaracuy Nicolás Maduro 182.060 56,47% Henrique Capriles 139.547 43,29% Zulia Nicolás Maduro 873.578 47,63% Henrique Capriles 956.987 52,18%

Venezuelanalysis.com will provide additional reporting, images and videos on the reactions to tonight’s historic presidential election result in the coming hours and days.