Venezuela officially confirms the winner of its latest election, following a closely watched and contentious process that has drawn significant attention from international observers.
President Nicolas Maduro has been declared the winner of last month’s presidential election by Venezuela’s Supreme Court.
Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, the opposition candidate supported by the US, alleged that he received 67% of votes and accused Maduro of manipulating results. Nevertheless, authorities headquartered in Caracas confirmed a victory for Maduro with 52% of votes and declared his election as valid.
According to Caryslia Rodriguez, the presiding judge, on Thursday, the court affirmed that it had “indisputably certified election materials and validated the results of the presidential election held on July 28th, 2024 by the National Electoral Council (CNE).”
Accusing the court of bias and attempting to usurp “the will of the people,” Gonzalez stated in a social media post that your ruling would exacerbate the crisis.
Maduro received congratulations from China, Russia, and Venezuela’s regional allies for his victory. However, the US-led G7 nations did not acknowledge the election results due to “serious concerns” about the fairness of the electoral process.
New elections have been requested by both Brazil and Colombia, a move supported by the US. However, the Venezuelan opposition refused on grounds of having already emerged victorious from the previous election.
A criminal investigation has been launched in Caracas against Gonzalez and several other opposition leaders for their alleged role in inciting “insurrection” through false claims of electoral triumphs and calls for unrest on the streets.
The government reports that election-related riots have resulted in the deaths of 25 individuals and injuries to 192, with over 2,400 arrests made.
According to two undisclosed sources, Reuters reported on Wednesday that a list of 60 Venezuelan officials and their relatives has been created by the US Government for potential blacklisting due to their involvement in the election. The individuals listed include members of both the Supreme Court and CNE.
Washington has been accused by Caracas of plotting another coup in Venezuela. The US did not acknowledge the 2018 election and instead recognized lawmaker Juan Guaido as an “interim president”. This led to Venezuelan gold and other assets being seized for his benefit. However, after the opposition voted to disband his interim government in December 2022, Guaido disappeared from prominence.
