2024-08-21 14:02:12
Venezuela’s Supreme Court (TSJ) will begin an “expertise” phase with evidence collected during an appeal requested by President Nicolás Maduro to “certify” his victory in the July 28 presidential election, after which it will issue a final decision, the president of the highest court said on Saturday.
“This electoral chamber continues with the expert appraisal that began on August 5, 2024, in order to produce the final judgment that responds to this appeal,” said Judge Caryslia Beatriz Rodríguez, head of the TSJ and the electoral chamber.
Whatever the court decides “will be considered a final judgment, as this jurisdictional body is the highest authority in electoral matters, and its decisions are final and binding,” Rodríguez stressed during a statement to which representatives of the diplomatic corps were invited.
The Supreme Court, accused by the opposition of favoring the government with its rulings, called on the candidates to appear after accepting an appeal by Maduro, amid allegations of fraud, for the highest court to certify the process.
Eight other minority candidates were also called.
The Electoral Chamber of the TSJ summoned the leftist president, re-elected for a third consecutive six-year term, and his main rival, Edmundo González Urrutia, whom Maduro threatened with jail by accusing him of leading a coup d’état together with opposition leader María Corina Machado.
González Urrutia did not respond to the calls of the Supreme Court, considering that appearing would put his freedom and the results of the July 28 elections, which he claims to have won with 67% of the votes, at risk.
“If I go to the Electoral Chamber (of the Supreme Court of Justice, TSJ) in these conditions, I will be in absolute vulnerability due to defenselessness and violation of due process, and I will put at risk not only my freedom, but, more importantly, the will of the Venezuelan people,” the 74-year-old opposition leader stressed in a statement on social media released on August 8.
The opposition published on a website copies of more than 80% of the minutes that they claim prove their victory, but Chavismo labels the published material as fraudulent.
The National Electoral Council (CNE), also a pro-government party, declared Maduro the winner with 52% of the votes, but to date has not published the details of the vote count, claiming its system was hacked.
© Agence France-Presse
