by Misty Severi
Venezuela’s top court on Thursday ratified President Nicolas Maduro’s reelection victory, determining that the leader was legally reelected last month despite widespread backlash.
Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (NEC) claimed the embattled leader won the election on July 28 with just over half the vote, but has failed to publish a full report. Maduro’s opponents have rejected the assertions, claiming Edmundo Gonzalez won 67% of the vote.
The country’s Supreme Justice Tribunal President Caryslia Rodriguez said the court has reviewed the NEC’s report and agrees Maduro was the victor, according to Reuters.
“The results of the presidential election of July 28 released by the national electoral council, where Nicolas Maduro was elected president of the republic, are validated,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez added that the ruling cannot be appealed, but opposition leaders claim the court does not have any constitutional authority to weigh in on the election.
“Sovereignty rests with the people and is intransferable,” Gonzalez posted to social media after the ruling. “Organs of state emanate from and are subject to popular sovereignty.”
The ratification means that Maduro has now been elected to his third six-year term as the country’s leader. He was first elected in 2012, and took office in January of 2013.
Backlash over the election has resulted in widespread protests and criminal investigations into opposition leader Maria Corina Machado and Gonzalez. The pair are being investigated for multiple crimes, including inciting military service members to commit crimes.
– – –
Misty Severi is a reporter for Just the News.
Photo “Nicolás Maduro” by Nicolás Maduro.
