Venezuelan Foreign Affairs vice-minister for Latin America and the Caribbean, Pavel Rondón, Monday declared that, following the election of Social-Democrat Alan García as the new President of Peru, strained bilateral relations persist.

"For now, the situation remains the way it is. This has been the order. So far, there have been no changes," Rondón told local Unión Radio station, as quoted by Efe.

On May 28th, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez once again warned he would severe diplomatic ties with Lima if García won the presidency.

García "is a bandit, an irresponsible person, and he is torpedoing relations with a friendly country. How can anyone have diplomatic relations or anything with a government headed by such a tramp like him," Chávez said during an official visit to Bolivia.

"Existing relations and commitments with the Peruvian people, which are beneficial for both Peruvians and Venezuelans, are still in place, regardless the fact that neither of the two countries has an ambassador in the other," Rondón asserted.

García obtained 54.6 percent of ballots in the second round of the Peruvian presidential election held on Sunday, while his rival nationalist Ollanta Humala received 45.3 percent of votes, with 83.9 percent of ballots counted.

On Sunday, following the official announcement of his victory on Sunday, García declared: "Today the majority has sent a message in favor of Peruvian independence and sovereignty. We have defeated the efforts of Mr. (Hugo) Chávez to include us in his strategy to spread his retrograde militarist model he has tried to implemented in Latin America," Reuters reported.