Venezuela, Cne reappears to validate Maduro’s victory

(ANSA) – CARACAS, 26 AUGUST – The National Electoral Council of Venezuela (CNE) has reactivated its website that had been inaccessible for weeks, publishing a statement welcoming the ruling of the Chavismo-controlled Supreme Court (TSJ) that ratified the results published by the CNE itself the day after the polls and the re-election of Nicolas Maduro with 51.2% of the votes. The statement states that “the CNE will respect the ruling of the TSJ and will proceed as requested to publish the election results in the Official Gazette within the established timeframes”. The Court’s ruling does not, however, require the CNE to publish the electoral documentation and was issued without a single document validating the result having yet been published and only on the basis of a legal assessment carried out without the participation of legal representatives of the opposition. Maduro’s victory is, however, not recognized by the opposition, nor by a broad spectrum of the international community that demands the publication of the electoral documents and rejects the Court’s jurisdiction in electoral matters. The United Democratic Platform (PUD) coalition, according to its own documentation published online, instead claims the victory of its candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, with 67% of the preferences. (ANSA).