Venezuela's Supreme Court validates President Maduro's re-election

Photo: Agence France-Presse Nicolas Maduro himself had seized the High Court of Justice in early August to have his victory validated.

Andrea Tosta – Agence France-Presse, Esteban Rojas – Agence France-Presse, Patrick Fort – Agence France-Presse in Caracas

Published yesterday at 17:07 Updated yesterday at 21:36

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Unsurprisingly, Venezuela’s Supreme Court, which most observers consider to be subservient to the government, validated the re-election of President Nicolas Maduro on Thursday despite allegations of fraud by the opposition, which considers the decision “null.”

The Court “certifies in an uncontestable manner the electoral material and validates the results of the presidential election of July 28. […] Nicolas Maduro has been elected president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela for the constitutional period 2025-2031,” said its president, Caryslia Rodriguez.

It was Nicolas Maduro himself who had seized the High Court of Justice (TSJ) in early August to have his victory validated.

The leader hailed a “historic and indisputable” decision, in front of a crowd gathered in the coastal state of La Guaira (north).

The announcement of his re-election for a third term had provoked spontaneous demonstrations, brutally repressed. They left 27 dead, according to a new report from the authorities on Thursday. In addition, 192 people were injured and 2,400 arrested.

Ms. Rodriguez assured that “the ballots issued by the National Electoral Council (CNE) […] are supported by the counting reports issued by each of the voting machines” and “fully coincide with the records in the databases of the national counting centers.”

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Nicolas Maduro, 61, was declared the winner with 52% of the vote by the CNE, which has not, however, made public the minutes of the polling stations, saying it was the victim of computer hacking.

Such an attack is considered implausible by the opposition and many observers, who see it as a maneuver by the government to avoid disclosing the exact count. However, Caryslia Rodriguez assured Thursday that there was “evidence of a massive cyberattack against the electoral system.”

Decision “null,” according to the opposition

According to the opposition, which has made public the minutes obtained thanks to its scrutineers, its candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia won the election with more than 60% of the vote. Parliament President Jorge Rodriguez, however, claimed that they were “false.”

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A few minutes after the Court's decision was announced, Gonzalez Urrutia posted the words “Null” written in red on the X network.

The TSJ's goal was to “please” Nicolas Maduro, the opponent castigated in a video posted on social media, arguing that “putting the election results on trial does not change the truth.”

Even before the decision, he had addressed the judges of the high court: “No decision will replace popular sovereignty. The country and the world know your bias and, therefore, your inability to resolve the conflict; your decision will only aggravate the crisis. »

In its ruling, the TSJ accuses Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia of “contempt” for not showing up for his summons, unlike all the other candidates, including Nicolas Maduro, and calls for “sanctions.”

Attorney General Tarek William Saab indicated that the prosecution would “deepen” its investigation into Mr. Gonzalez Urrutia and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, in relation to the procedure already opened for “usurpation of functions […] and conspiracy.”

On Saturday, during an opposition demonstration, Maria Corina Machado assured that the mobilization would continue. “We will not abandon the streets. The voice of the people is respected. The whole world and all of Venezuela recognize that the elected president is Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia,” she said.

Mr. Maduro can count on the army, which the opposition hoped to rally to its cause. After having repeatedly recalled his “loyalty” to the head of state since July 28, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino estimated Thursday after the TSJ announcement that the “institutions were functioning” well.

“Crude attempt to cover up fraud”

A large part of the international community, including the United States, the European Union and Latin American countries, have not recognized the re-election of the socialist president.

Chilean President Gabriel Boric responded by saying that the Court “is consolidating the fraud,” adding: “There is no doubt that we are facing a dictatorship that falsifies elections, represses those who think differently.”

His Uruguayan counterpart Luis Lacalle Pou also rejected the judgment, which he said only confirmed “fraud.” Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo echoed the same sentiment.

On Thursday, an independent UN mission tasked with assessing the human rights situation in Venezuela “warned about the lack of independence and impartiality” of the Supreme Court and the CNE, highlighting their “role in the repressive apparatus of the state,” according to a message on X from the UN Human Rights Council.

“This is nothing more than a crude attempt to cover up the fraud before the justice system,” reacted on X Juanita Goebertus, regional director of the NGO Human Rights Watch.

In Caracas, hundreds of people gathered at the call of the authorities for a demonstration against fascism, a term regularly used by the government to describe the opposition.