The question of who actually won the presidential election was referred to the Supreme Court, after both sides claimed to have won the election.
The court's decision is final and binding, said Carylsia Rodriguez, chairman of the Supreme Court, during a meeting on Saturday.
However, she said nothing about when the court would deliver its verdict.
The Electoral Commission in the country, which is close to the sitting President Nicolas Maduro, has officially declared that he won. At the same time, the opposition claims that protocols collected directly from over 80 percent of the polling stations show that their candidate Edmundo González Urrutia won by a large margin.
Both González Urrutia and his colleague Maria Corina Machado are in hiding, fearing arrest – and therefore did not testify in court.
In a video clip published on social media, Edmundo González Urrutia calls for an end to "violence and persecution", and addresses himself directly to Nicolas Maduro.
I beg you, on behalf of all Venezuelans, to stop the violence and persecution and to immediately release all fellow citizens who are arbitrarily detained, he says, referring to the deadly riots that broke out after the election, in which over 2,000 people were arrested according to Maduro.
According to the opposition, protocols collected directly from over 80 percent of the polling stations show that Edmundo González Urrutia won the election with a significant majority.
Maduro portrays the opposition's claims to be the winner of the election as a coup attempt and has vowed to crush all resistance. Arrest warrants have been issued against opposition leaders González Urrutia and María Corina Machado, who have gone into hiding and are in secret locations.
The opposition, several Latin American countries, and the USA are demanding that Venezuela present a detailed and verifiable election result. The regime has refused, citing that it is impossible. President Maduro has even claimed that the electoral authority has been hacked by imperialist forces – with Elon Musk at the helm.
Sources: EFE, El País, and others.
