TEHRAN, Aug. 17 (Xinhuanet) -- Iran hailed on Tuesday Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez' success in a recall vote deciding whether he would stay on as president, the official IRNA news agency reported.

    "The move is in line with the continuation of democratic trend in that country. The Islamic Republic of Iran attaches importance to votes and mass participation of the Venezuelan people in their country's presidential recall elections," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi was quoted as saying.

    Iran's congratulations came one day after Venezuelan National Elections Council announced that Chavez survived the recall referendum with 58 percent of voters voting "no" to Chavez's recalland 42 percent voting "yes".

    Chavez's opponents, who accused the former parachuter turned president of ruling the country as a dictator and devastating the economy, denounced the results as rigged.

    Asefi noted that Tehran sees the recall as a great test for the country and the entire Latin America on whether they are able to establish democracy and set up a popular government according to people's will.

    "The outcome of the Venezuelan poll once again proved that people all over the world are against intervention of foreign powers in their countries' domestic affairs," he added.

    Chavez has repeatedly accused the United States of supporting his opponents bent on ousting him.

    First elected as president in 1998, Chavez won a second electionin 2000 to a six-year term.

    Chavez has survived a short-lived coup in 2002 and a two-month general strike in early 2003.

    The recall referendum was put to voters after Chavez' oppositionsucceeded in collecting 3.4 million signatures in late 2003, a number much higher than the legal threshold of 2.4 million needed to trigger a recall.

    A total of 13 percent of oil consumed in the United States is supplied by Venezuela, the world's No.5 crude exporter. Enditem