(CMC) The Organisation of American States (OAS) has strongly criticized the ruling by Venezuela’s Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) that “certifies” the electoral material and “categorically validates” the National Electoral Council’s (CNE) declaration of President Nicolás Maduro as the winner of the July 28 presidential election.
In a statement issued on Friday, the OAS General Secretariat condemned the court’s decision, noting that the CNE’s announcement of Maduro as president was based on a partial and unverified bulletin.
The OAS stated, “This General Secretariat reiterates that the CNE proclaimed Maduro, in a hurried manner, based on a partial bulletin issued orally, with numbers that showed mathematical impossibilities and without presenting the disaggregated results that, according to the law, must be tabulated table by table.”
The OAS highlighted that the CNE has not yet published detailed results, unlike the opposition, which has made its data available based on official tally sheets from the election day.
The statement criticized both the TSJ and the CNE for their lack of transparency and reliability, saying, “These records contain all the security measures that accredit them as authentic and have been subject to verification by public opinion and impartial analysis by national and international experts.”
The report from the United Nations’ Panel of Electoral Experts noted that announcing election results without detailed disclosure is “unprecedented in contemporary democratic elections” and undermines confidence in the CNE’s results.
The OAS also emphasized that the TSJ’s ruling lacked clarity, stating, “The TSJ now issues a ruling without revealing the arguments of the appealing party, without analysing the active or passive legitimacy of the appeal presented, without detailing the technical elements that persuaded it about the alleged authenticity of the records that the CNE says it has submitted to its courts.”
Further criticism came from the OAS regarding the lack of procedures to ensure the integrity and security of electoral materials.
The OAS expressed concerns about the Venezuelan legal system’s inability to investigate or verify election results, pointing out that the CNE alone is responsible for tallying and proclaiming results.
The OAS also referenced previous reports from the UN Fact-Finding Mission, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), and the International Commission of Jurists, all of which have criticized the impartiality of the TSJ and CNE.
The OAS denounced the Maduro government’s refusal to relinquish or share power, describing it as “an illegitimate president seeking ‘legitimacy’ in the branches of the State that depend on him.” The organization also condemned the regime for its failure to provide a verifiable result and for its broader implications on democracy and human rights in Venezuela.
In addition, the OAS urged international justice, calling for action from the International Criminal Court to address the regime’s violations. “These victims have suffered 10 years of a dictatorial regime that acts under the most absolute national and international impunity,” the OAS stated.
The U.S. Department of State also condemned the TSJ ruling, asserting that it “lacks all credibility” given evidence that Edmundo Gonzalez received the most votes in the election.
Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel emphasized the need for a peaceful transition and urged Maduro to release detainees who exercised their right to free expression.
The US and the international community remain committed to supporting a democratic process in Venezuela, Patel added.
This condemnation underscores ongoing international concerns about the integrity of Venezuela’s electoral process and the broader implications for the country’s democratic future.
