Venezuela's Maduro Asks Pro-Government Supreme Court To Audit His Disputed Election

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro said he asked nan country’s Supreme Court to behaviour an audit of nan statesmanlike election, aft guidance leaders disputed his declare of triumph and amid world calls to merchandise elaborate ballot counts.

Maduro told reporters Wednesday that nan ruling statement is besides fresh to show nan totality of nan tally sheets from Sunday’s election.

“I propulsion myself earlier justice,” he said to reporters extracurricular nan Supreme Court’s office successful Caracas, adding that he is “willing to beryllium summoned, questioned, investigated.”

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro waves aft speaking to nan property astatine nan Supreme Court successful Caracas, Venezuela, connected Wednesday.

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This is Maduro’s first concession to demands for much transparency astir nan election. However, nan Supreme Court is intimately aligned pinch his government; national officials propose nan court’s justices and they are ratified by nan National Assembly, which is dominated by Maduro sympathizers.

Maduro insisted to reporters that location had been a crippled against his authorities and that nan electoral strategy was hacked, but he didn’t springiness immoderate specifics aliases coming immoderate evidence. He is expected to reside nationalist and overseas media Wednesday afternoon, his first charismatic news convention since nan election.

A Venezuelan emblem waves extracurricular Venezuela's Supreme Justice Tribunal, nan country's highest court, successful 2019 successful Caracas.

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Pressure has been building against nan president. The National Electoral Council, which is loyal to his United Socialist Party of Venezuela, has yet to merchandise immoderate printed results from polling centers arsenic it did successful past elections.

Maduro’s adjacent ally, Colombian President Gustavo Petro, connected Wednesday joined different overseas leaders successful urging him to merchandise elaborate ballot counts. A time earlier, different of Maduro’s allies, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, on pinch U.S. President Joe Biden called for nan “immediate merchandise of full, transparent, and elaborate voting information astatine nan polling position level.”

Machado said nan ballot tallies nan guidance has obtained show González received astir 6.2 cardinal votes compared pinch 2.7 cardinal for Maduro. That is wide different from nan electoral council’s study that Maduro received 5.1 cardinal votes, against much than 4.4 cardinal for González.

“The superior doubts that person arisen astir nan Venezuelan electoral process tin lead its group to a heavy convulsive polarization pinch superior consequences of imperishable division,” Petro said Wednesday successful a station connected societal media tract X.

Maduro pumps his first to a crowd of supporters during a reside successful defense of his reelection successful Caracas connected Tuesday.

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“I induce nan Venezuelan authorities to let nan elections to extremity successful peace, allowing a transparent ballot count, pinch nan counting of votes, and pinch nan supervision of each nan governmental forces of its state and master world supervision,” he added.

Petro projected that Maduro’s authorities and nan guidance scope an statement “that allows for nan maximum respect of nan (political) unit that has mislaid nan elections.” The agreement, he said, could beryllium submitted to nan United Nations Security Council.

Venezuela has nan world’s largest proven crude reserves and erstwhile boasted Latin America’s astir precocious economy, but it entered into free autumn aft Maduro took nan helm successful 2013. Plummeting lipid prices, wide shortages and hyperinflation that soared past 130,000% led to social unrest and wide emigration.

More than 7.7 cardinal Venezuelans person near nan country since 2014, nan largest exodus successful Latin America’s caller history. Many person settled successful Colombia.

A destroyed statue of nan precocious Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez lies adjacent to its guidelines successful Valencia connected Tuesday aft Chavez's protege, Maduro, was named victor successful Sunday's statesmanlike election.

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Speaking to reporters successful Vietnam connected Wednesday, nan European Union’s overseas affairs main said nan bloc won’t admit Maduro’s declare of electoral triumph without independent verification of voting records.

“They should person been provided immediately, arsenic successful immoderate antiauthoritarian electoral process,” Josep Borrell said.

The Carter Center, an independent U.S.-based institution that evaluates elections, said precocious Tuesday it was incapable to verify nan results of Venezuela’s statesmanlike election, blaming authorities for a “complete deficiency of transparency” successful declaring Maduro nan victor without providing immoderate individual polling tallies.

The group was authorized earlier this twelvemonth by Venezuela’s electoral authorities to nonstop experts to observe nan election. It had 17 experts dispersed retired successful 4 cities connected Sunday.

Opposition statesmanlike campaigner Edmundo Gonzalez, right, and guidance leader Maria Corina Machado subordinate hands during a property convention successful Caracas connected Monday.

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“The electoral authority’s nonaccomplishment to denote disaggregated results by polling position constitutes a superior breach of electoral principles,” nan Carter Center said, adding that nan predetermination did not meet world standards and “cannot beryllium considered democratic.”

Within hours of nan electoral assembly announcing Monday that Maduro had won, thousands of protesters took to nan streets of nan capital, Caracas, and different cities. The protests, which continued into Tuesday, turned convulsive astatine times, and rule enforcement responded pinch tear state and weapon pellets.

Attorney General Tarek William Saab connected Tuesday told reporters that much than 700 protesters were arrested in nationwide demonstrations Monday and that 1 serviceman was killed.

The Venezuela-based quality authorities statement Foro Penal besides connected Tuesday reported that 11 people, including 2 minors, had been killed successful unrest related to nan election.

The Organization of American States was group to stitchery Wednesday to talk Venezuela’s election.

Protesters show Monday successful Valencia against nan charismatic predetermination results declaring Maduro's reelection.

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Maduro’s closest ruling statement friends quickly came to his defense. National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez — his main negotiator successful dialogues pinch nan U.S. and nan guidance — insisted Maduro was nan indisputable victor and called his opponents convulsive fascists.

Praising nan arrests of nan protesters, he said Machado should beryllium jailed and truthful should González, “because he is nan leader of nan fascist conspiracy that is trying to enforce itself successful Venezuela.”

In a Spanish-language station connected X, nan EU’s Borrell urged Venezuelan authorities to “end detentions, repression and convulsive rhetoric against members of nan opposition,” calling threats against González and Machado “unacceptable.”

Meanwhile, Machado and González urged their supporters to stay calm and debar violence.

“I inquire Venezuelans to proceed successful peace, demanding that nan consequence beryllium respected and nan tally sheets beryllium published,” González said connected X. “This victory, which belongs to each of us, will merge america and reconcile america arsenic a nation.”