The Supreme Court of Venezuela has ruled that last month’s presidential election was won by President Nicolas Maduro.
US-backed opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia claimed to have won 67% of the vote and accused Maduro of rigging the results. The authorities in Caracas, however, said that Maduro won 52% of the vote and certified the election in his favor.
On Thursday, the court said it “indisputably certified election materials and validates the results of the July 28, 2024 presidential election issued by the National Electoral Council (CNE),” according to presiding judge Caryslia Rodriguez.
“Your ruling will only make the crisis worse,” Gonzalez said in a social media post, accusing the court of bias and seeking to usurp “the will of the people.”
While China, Russia and Venezuela’s regional allies congratulated Maduro on his victory, the G7 countries led by the US have refused to recognize the results of the vote, expressing “serious concerns” about the integrity of the electoral process.
Brazil and Colombia have even called for new elections, which the US supported – but the Venezuelan opposition opposed the calls, claiming they had won the vote outright.
Caracas has opened a criminal investigation against Gonzalez and other opposition leaders for inciting “insurrection” with false claims of electoral victory and calls for street unrest.
According to the government, 25 people have been killed and 192 injured in election-related riots, while more than 2,400 people have been arrested.
On Wednesday, Reuters reported that the US had drafted a list of 60 Venezuelan officials and their family members that could be blacklisted over the election. The list contains members of the CNE and the Supreme Court, according to two people familiar with the matter who wished to remain anonymous.
Caracas has accused Washington of planning yet another coup in Venezuela. The US likewise refused to recognize the 2018 election and recognized lawmaker Juan Guaido as “interim president,” going so far as to confiscate Venezuelan gold and other assets for his benefit. The Venezuelan opposition voted to dissolve his “interim government” in December 2022, after which Guaido faded into obscurity.