Maduro challenger calls Venezuela election 'illegitimate'

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro comfortably won re-election in a controversial vote on Sunday, the election board said, though his main rivals both declared the poll illegitimate due to alleged widespread irregularities.

Turnout at the election was just 46.1 percent, the election board said, way down from the 80 percent registered at the last presidential vote in 2013, due to a boycott by Venezuela’s mainstream opposition.

As results came out, Maduro supporters let off fireworks in poor Caracas neighborhoods and danced to Latin pop around the downtown Miraflores presidential palace. He took 5.8 million votes, versus 1.8 for his nearest rival Henri Falcon, the board said.

Reporting by Andreina Aponte and Luc Cohen; Writing by Andrew Cawthorne; Editing by Angus Berwick and Paul Tait