Venezuela's Supreme Court Upholds Maduro's Controversial Election Win

Venezuela's Supreme Justice Tribunal ratified President Nicolas Maduro's July 28 election victory. Despite opposition claims and human rights concerns, the court's decision supports institutional backing for Maduro amidst international scrutiny. The tribunal's ruling, based on electoral authority materials, is final and cannot be appealed, despite opposition claims of vote discrepancies.

Venezuela's Supreme Justice Tribunal on Thursday ratified President Nicolas Maduro's victory in the July 28 presidential election, sealing institutional backing for the ruling party as the disputed contest fades from international headlines.

Since the vote and the ensuing deadly anti-government protests, Maduro's administration has executed what opposition groups, human rights organizations, and labor unions decry as a crackdown on dissent. The measures have included arrests of opposition figures and protesters, an investigation into opposition leaders allegedly inciting the military to commit crimes, the passing of a law tightening regulations on NGOs, and forced resignations of state employees purportedly holding pro-opposition views.

Reviewing materials from the electoral authority, the supreme tribunal confirmed Maduro's victory, court president Caryslia Rodriguez stated, emphasizing that the decision is unappealable. Although the electoral authority announced on election night that Maduro secured just over half of the votes, full tallies have not been released. On the contrary, the opposition has published 83% of voting machine tallies online, showing their candidate Edmundo Gonzalez receiving 67% of the support.

(With inputs from agencies.)