Venezuela's Maduro denounces US remarks, calls Obama 'grand chief of devils'

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro took a swipe at Barack Obama on Saturday, calling him the "grand chief of devils" after the US president declined to recognize his contested re-election.

The socialist's harsh attack recalled diatribes from his predecessor the late Hugo Chavez aimed at former US president George W. Bush, whom he also called a devil, among other insults.

During a visit to Costa Rica on Friday, Obama would not say whether the United States recognizes Maduro as the winner of last month's presidential election.

Obama told US Spanish-language network Univision that the entire region "has been watching the violence, the protests, the crackdowns on the opposition" following the controversial April 14 election.

Maduro defeated opposition leader Henrique Capriles, at least officially, by a razor-thin margin in the election to replace the late leftist leader Hugo Chavez.

Capriles, however, has refused to concede defeat, claiming there were irregularities.

"I think our general view has been that it's up to the people of Venezuela to choose their leaders in legitimate elections," said Obama, who was in Costa Rica for a summit with Central American leaders.

"It is Obama himself - as the puppet of the imperial power - who is behind the financing in dollars of this right wing that is seeking to destroy Venezuela's democracy," Maduro alleged, AFP reported.