Venezuelan President Chavez congratulates Iran's president-elect
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has congratulated Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on his election as new president of the Islamic Republic.

Chavez himself broke the news himself on Monday when he presented awards to journalists, local reports said Tuesday.

He described Ahmadinejad as a "man who is committed to his nation and the struggle for sovereignty and self-determination."

Chavez said he told Ahmadinejad in a television conversation that nobody could demand Iran adopt another democratic system, like that of the United States.

Ahmadinejad, mayor of Tehran, defeated former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani in Friday's presidential run-off. He will be sworn in on Aug. 4.