Request for Vote Count Audit Filed with Supreme Court to Confront Allegations Head-On
Criticism of Ritualistic Acts Amid Large Presence of Pro-Government Figures
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, surrounded by allegations of election fraud, has taken a direct approach by requesting a presidential election vote count audit from the Supreme Court. Additionally, he demanded prison sentences for opposition leaders responsible for anti-government protests and pointed to Tesla CEO Elon Musk as being behind attempts to hack the vote counting system.
According to Bloomberg and other sources on the 31st (local time), President Maduro stated, "Today, I requested a comprehensive audit of the presidential election vote counting process from the Supreme Court," calling it "a decision to resolve coup attempts against the government and various suspicions." He also announced, "I urge all presidential candidates registered with the High Court and 38 political parties to be summoned to review cyberattacks on the election headquarters and to prepare an expert report certifying the results of the July 28 presidential election."
The local daily El Universal reported that President Maduro personally appeared at the court to submit related documents on the same day. This move is interpreted as a direct breakthrough after various suspicions and criticisms were raised regarding the vote count results announced by the National Electoral Council (CNE), which declared Maduro’s third term, and as anti-government protests intensified. However, major foreign media outlets including the Associated Press pointed out that "the Venezuelan Supreme Court and other key judicial positions are heavily staffed with pro-government figures," highlighting the impossibility of an independent review.
At a press conference held at the presidential palace that day, President Maduro continued to criticize opposition leaders such as Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia. Maduro claimed, "There are soldiers who died due to violent protests incited by them," and insisted that they should be sentenced to at least 30 years in prison for attempting to overthrow the government. Earlier, Prosecutor General Tarek William Saab announced that 749 protesters had been detained and that one police officer died during the suppression. The human rights group Foro Penal reported that 11 protesters died over the past three days due to harsh crackdowns by military and police forces.
Regarding the lack of detailed vote count results, President Maduro defended the election authorities by citing cyberattacks. He asserted, "I am convinced that Musk gave the orders behind the attacks on Venezuela," suggesting a possible connection to the hacking attempt on the National Electoral Council during the July 28 vote counting process. He further warned, "Musk’s ambition to occupy and govern Venezuela has become clear," and declared, "All those who chase Venezuela will be eliminated."
In response, CEO Musk retorted, "A donkey knows more than Maduro," adding, "On second thought, it’s an insult to donkeys to compare them to Maduro. It’s an insult to animals." Musk, who had expressed support for candidates Machado and Urrutia, lamented the election results announcement by saying, "It is a shame and a tragedy for dictator Maduro." At that time, Venezuelan election authorities announced that President Maduro won his third term with 5.1 million votes, defeating opposition candidate Urrutia, who received 4.4 million votes. However, Machado claimed based on her own investigation that Urrutia secured about 6.2 million votes, significantly surpassing Maduro’s 2.7 million votes.
The United States and the international community have been pressuring Venezuela daily, urging transparent disclosure of election results. John Kirby, National Security Council (NSC) Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the White House, said on the same day, "The patience of the United States and the international community with Venezuela is running out," calling for the election authorities to release transparent vote count data. The day before, the White House announced that "U.S. President Joe Biden and Brazilian President Luiz In?cio Lula da Silva agreed that complete, transparent, and detailed voting data must be released immediately." Additionally, leaders from Chile, Mexico, Ecuador, and Argentina have stated that they cannot recognize President Maduro’s election victory unless the election results are transparently disclosed.
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