Maduro Calls for Supreme Court Audit in Disputed Venezuelan Election

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has requested the Supreme Court to audit the recent presidential election. This move comes after opposition leaders disputed his victory and international calls for detailed vote counts. Maduro stated on Wednesday that the ruling party is prepared to display all electoral tally sheets.

Opposition leaders Edmundo González and Maria Corina Machado claim they have over two-thirds of the tally sheets from electronic voting machines, which they say will prove Maduro lost. The National Electoral Council, loyal to the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela, has not released printed results from polling centres, unlike in previous elections.

International Pressure for Transparency

Colombian President Gustavo Petro joined other foreign leaders on Wednesday in urging Maduro to release detailed vote counts. A day earlier, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and US President Joe Biden called for the "immediate release of full, transparent, and detailed voting data at the polling station level."

Petro expressed concerns about potential violent polarisation in Venezuela due to doubts about the electoral process. He suggested that Maduro's government and the opposition reach an agreement respecting the losing political force, which could be submitted to the United Nations Security Council.

Discrepancies in Vote Counts

Machado stated that their obtained vote tallies show González received approximately 6.2 million votes compared to 2.7 million for Maduro. This contrasts sharply with the electoral council's report of 5.1 million votes for Maduro and over 4.4 million for González.

The Carter Center, a US-based institution that evaluates elections, criticised the lack of transparency in declaring Maduro the winner without providing individual polling tallies. They noted that the election did not meet international standards and "cannot be considered democratic."

Protests and Arrests

Following the announcement of Maduro's victory, thousands protested in Caracas and other cities. These protests turned violent at times, leading law enforcement to use tear gas and gun pellets. Attorney General Tarek William Saab reported that over 700 protesters were arrested nationwide on Monday, with one officer killed.

The Venezuela-based human rights organisation Foro Penal reported that 11 people, including two minors, were killed in election-related unrest. The Organization of American States planned to discuss Venezuela's election on Wednesday.

Calls for Peace

Maduro's allies quickly defended him. National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez called his opponents violent fascists and praised the arrests of protesters. He suggested that Machado and González should be jailed for leading a "fascist conspiracy."

In a Spanish-language post on X, EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell urged Venezuelan authorities to "end detentions, repression and violent rhetoric against members of the opposition," calling threats against González and Machado "unacceptable."

Meanwhile, Machado and González urged their supporters to remain calm and avoid violence. "I ask Venezuelans to continue in peace, demanding that the result be respected and the tally sheets be published," González said on X. "This victory, which belongs to all of us, will unite us and reconcile us as a nation."

The European Union's foreign affairs chief stated that without independent verification of voting records, they would not recognise Maduro's claim of victory. "They should have been provided immediately, as in any democratic electoral process," Josep Borrell said while speaking to reporters in Vietnam on Wednesday.

Venezuela holds the world's largest proven crude reserves but has faced severe economic decline since Maduro took office in 2013. Falling oil prices, shortages, and hyperinflation have led to social unrest and mass emigration.

More than 7.7 million Venezuelans have left since 2014, making it Latin America's largest recent exodus. Many have settled in Colombia.