HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): "The chains have been lifted," they say, "jubilant over the victory of the man they elected president." His supporters called it a punishment vote. It brought this man to power in Venezuela: a former military officer who has said he will fight against a tradition of corruption and economic inequity. Those who voted for him want to punish those who have held political and economic power in the country for decades. This is not the first time Hugo Chavez has attempted to become the president of Venezuela. The last time he used bullets instead of ballots. His failed coup attempt in February of 1992 landed him in jail, but he became a hero of sorts to millions of Venezuelans who live in poverty. "I'm sure the people's will will be imposed here," he says. But some are concerned about political stability in Venezuela, a country which has long been one of the main suppliers of oil to the United States and has been a mainstay of democracy in Latin America. Chavez has said, among other things, that he wants to dissolve Congress and rewrite the constitution, and forge an unknown path between capitalism and communism as he looks for a new economic system for Venezuela.
CNN 20: Hugo Chavez Wins Election, December 6, 1998