Argentina joined the United States and nine Latin American countries on Friday to issue a joint statement rejecting the Venezuela Supreme Court's certification of President Nicolás Maduro's July 28 re-election, widely rejected at home and abroad.
The governments of Argentina, Costa Rica, Chile, Ecuador, the United States, Guatemala, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic and Uruguay said the court's ruling was invalidated by a "lack of independence and impartiality."
The nations said they "categorically reject" the Supreme Court announcement and its bid to "validate the unsubstantiated results issued by the electoral body."
Venezuela's Supreme Court, which observers say is loyal to Maduro's government, on Thursday declared him the winner of the vote despite opposition claims of widespread vote fraud.
In its ruling, read by presiding judge Caryslia Rodríguez, the court said it had "indisputably certified election materials and validates the results of the July 28, 2024 presidential election issued by the National Electoral Council (CNE)," naming Maduro as the winner.
Opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia responded to the ruling on Thursday by posting an image to social media saying "void."
"The sovereignty of the people is not transferable," he said, accusing the court in a later video message of attempting to "please" Maduro.
Speaking in the coastal state of La Guaira, Maduro hailed the Supreme Court's decision as "historic and forceful."
Maduro had asked the court earlier this month to weigh in on the election, in which he claims to have defeated González Urrutia with 52 percent of ballots cast, according to the CNE.
The CNE did not provide a precinct-level breakdown of its results, saying it had been the victim of a cyber attack.
The Supreme Court on Thursday said there was "evidence of a massive cyber attack against the electoral system."
Observers say the supposed hack is an excuse to not provide vote results.
In their statement, the United States and the Latin American nations called for an "impartial and independent audit" of the election's results.
"Our countries had already expressed their disavowal of the validity of the CNE's declaration, after opposition representatives were denied access to the official count, the non-publication of the tally sheets and the subsequent refusal to carry out an impartial and independent audit of all of them," read the statement.
"The undersigned countries reiterate that only an impartial and independent audit of the votes, which evaluates all the records, will guarantee respect for the sovereign will of the people and democracy in Venezuela," read the statement.
The nations vowed to respect the "sovereign expression of the Venezuelan people, who expressed themselves peacefully and forcefully on July 28."
The statement also expressed fears over post-election violence and a clampdown on dissenting voices by the Maduro administration.
The signatories expressed "deep concern and rejection of the human rights violations perpetrated against citizens who peacefully demand respect for the people's vote and the restoration of democracy."
The number of people killed in post-election violence has risen to 27, Venezuela's attorney general announced Thursday. More than 190 people have been injured and 2,400 arrested in election-related protests.
Venezuela's parliament, controlled by members loyal to Maduro, on Tuesday delayed debate on a law against "fascism" seen by detractors as a means of cracking down on political opponents.
On Thursday, hundreds of government supporters marched in Caracas "against fascism."
The UN Human Rights Council questioned the impartiality of the Supreme Court in a social media post later that day.
"We warn about the lack of independence and impartiality of the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) and of the National Electoral Council (CNE) which have played a role in the state's repressive machinery," the post quoted a UN fact-finding panel as saying.
"The Government exerted undue influence over TSJ decisions including through direct messages to judges and public statements from President Nicolas Maduro and Diosdado Cabello," said panel chair Marta Valinas, referring to a lawmaker who is a key ally of the president.
Juanita Goebertus, Americas division director at Human Rights Watch, also denounced the decision.
"The recent decision of the (Supreme Court) is nothing more than a crude attempt to judicially cover up electoral fraud," she posted on social media.
– TIMES/AFP
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