Venezuelan Supreme Court of Justice headquarters in Caracas, Venezuela, with a Venezuelan flag. File photo.
The Electoral Chamber of the Venezuelan Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) asked the National Electoral Council (CNE) to submit the voting records of the presidential elections held on July 28.
According to the TSJ’s ruling admitting the electoral contentions appeal filed by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, declared on Friday, August 2, the CNE has to submit the following documents within the next three days: the voting records containing the counting of votes from each voting center, the record of the final total of the votes, the minutes of the adjudication, and the minutes of the proclamation of President Maduro as the winner.
The TSJ also asked the CNE to submit evidence related to the cyberattack perpetrated against the CNE’s transmission system that had hindered the transmission of the results.
“In light of the commitment to peace, democracy and in pursuit of the constitutional order of the Republic, this Electoral Chamber decides that for this particular case, the work of this body is extended from Monday to Sunday, 24 hours a day on all seven days of the week,” the TSJ declared.
On Friday, eight of the 10 candidates who participated in the presidential election attended the summons of the Electoral Chamber as part of the TSJ’s work on President Maduro’s electoral contention appeal.
Re-elected President Nicolás Maduro, candidates Claudio Fermín, Antonio Ecarri, Benjamín Rausseo, Luis Eduardo Martínez, Javier Bertucci, Daniel Ceballos, and Enrique Márquez attended the TSJ summons.
However, far-right candidate Edmundo González disregarded the summons of the Electoral Chamber of the TSJ.
During the hearing, TSJ President Caryslia Rodríguez explained that starting from August 2, the court will carry out a process of audit and verification of the election results.
The former candidates present at the hearing, except Enrique Márquez, signed an agreement in which they committed to collaborate fully with the court and submit the documents required for the review of the election results.
Márquez claimed that he did not know exactly what he was supposed to sign despite a public reading of President Maduro’s appeal and the TSJ ruling minutes earlier. Márquez, candidate for the Centrados party, received the least number of votes in the July 28 election according to the second electoral results bulletin issued by the CNE. Centrados is very close to Edmundo González and the Unitary Platform and is also supported by the Communist Party of Venezuela (PCV) controlled by Oscar Figuera.
TSJ President Rodríguez urged all citizens, political parties and all those involved in the electoral process to abide by the court’s decision regarding the election.
(RedRadioVE) by Ana Perdigón with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SC
