On August 22, 2024, Venezuela’s Supreme Court officially certified the country’s 2024 election results, declaring Nicolás Maduro’s presidential victory. This comes after weeks of questioning by international committees (including the UN) and Maduro’s opponent, Edmundo Gonzalez, about the legitimacy of the results. MediaFancier covered the details of this story here.
“An attempt to judicialize the results doesn’t change the truth. We won overwhelmingly, and we have the voting records to prove it,” González said in a statement.
This certification is quite suspicious, as the court is packed with Maduro loyalists and has almost never ruled against any decisions that he has made. The certification contradicts the findings of experts from the United Nations and the Carter Center who were invited to observe the election, both of whom found that the election did not meet international standards of electoral integrity and cannot be considered democratic. These reports are detailed here and here. This is certainly a worrisome time for the South American country.
Sources:
(2024, August 22). Venezuela high court confirms Maduro's re-election after fraud claims. Buenos Aires Times. https://www.batimes.com.ar/news/latin-america/venezuela-high-court-confirms-maduros-re-election-after-fraud-claims.phtml
Sandeman, G. (2024, August 22). Maduro reelection: Venezuelan court upholds president's victory. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3w658z4403o
(2024, August 22). Venezuela’s Supreme Court certifies Maduro’s claims that he won presidential election. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-election-supreme-court-certifies-maduro-39d9f3b9beb0fe96fa052e4d2a3c106b
News, U. (2024, August 12). UN rights experts call for an end to post-election repression in Venezuela. UN News. https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/08/1153081
(2024, August 19). Carter Center Statement on Venezuela Election. https://www.cartercenter.org/news/pr/2024/venezuela-073024.html
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