Massive Rejection of Ruling Ratifying Maduro’s Re-election
HAVANA TIMES – Ten Latin American countries, the United States, and the European Union, rejected the ruling of Venezuela’s Supreme Court that validated the re-election of President Nicolas Maduro in a joint statement issued on August 23.
“Only an impartial and independent audit of the votes, evaluating all the tally sheets, will ensure respect for the sovereign popular will and democracy in Venezuela,” stated the text simultaneously released by the 11 governments.
These governments are Argentina, Costa Rica, Chile, Ecuador, the United States, Guatemala, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic, and Uruguay. Although Canada did not sign the text, it has repeatedly aligned with these views.
Notably absent were Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico, which remain in consultations to find a solution to the crisis triggered by the presidential election on July 28 in Venezuela, so far without visible results.
In the region, only Bolivia, Cuba, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines have recognized Maduro’s electoral victory. Most Caribbean countries are keeping their distance from the issue, although they supported the call fora credible audit of the electoral process in the Organization of American States (OAS).
Josep Borrell, in charge of foreign relations for the European Union, stated, “We continue to say that this electoral result must be proven, and so far, we have not seen any proof. And as long as we do not see a verifiable result, we will not recognize it.”
On July 29, the National Electoral Council, controlled by the government, proclaimed Maduro the winner with 51% of the votes, against 44% for his main contender, Edmundo González. Protests and unrest erupted, resulting in 25 deaths and the detention of about 1,500 people.
Maduro asked the Supreme Court to rule on the validity of the result, which the court did by certifying “in an unrestricted and unequivocal manner” the CNE announcement of Maduro’s victory “backed by the scrutiny records issued by each voting machine.”
However, despite explicit regulations and as has been done after every election this century, the CNE refrained from publishing the results generated by the records in the 30,026 automated voting stations across the country, nor did it offer results by states or municipalities, as in dozens of other consultations.
With copies of the records received by their witnesses at the polls —automatically and encrypted issued by the machines— the opposition alliance Democratic Unity Platform proclaimed González’s victory with more than 67% of the votes, compared to just 30% for Maduro.
United Nations observation missions and the US-based Carter Center issued critical reports on the CNE’s biased conduct and supported the opposition’s documentation that backs its results.
At the UN level, the Fact-Finding Mission investigating serious human rights violations in Venezuela reiterated its warning about the lack of impartiality of the Venezuelan court.
The lack of independence of both the Supreme Court and the Electoral Council was also highlighted in the statement by the 11 governments released today, August 23rd.
Candidate Edmundo Gonzalez and the main opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, rejected the Supreme Court ruling and warned that it could deepen the crisis in Venezuela and its impact on neighboring nations, where millions of Venezuelans have migrated since Maduro first took power in 2013.
The military leadership, which had already expressed “unconditional support” for Maduro as the re-elected president for a third term (2025-2031), expressed satisfaction with the court’s decision.
The president of the National Assembly —also controlled by the government— Jorge Rodríguez, announced reforms to political party laws aimed at reducing the opposition’s maneuvering space and excluding any international observation from future elections.
After July 28, a law was also passed that establishes strict controls over civic organizations, and progress was made on another to punish “fascist, neo-fascist, and similar” expressions.
The statement from the 11 governments expressed “deep concern and rejection of the human rights violations perpetrated against citizens who peacefully demand respect for the citizens’ vote and the restoration of democracy.”
They also announced that “like the rest of the international democratic community, we will continue to insist on respecting the sovereign will of the Venezuelan people, who on July 28 expressed themselves peacefully and in a resounding manner.”