The US and Europe Reject Venezuela's Supreme Court Ruling in Favor of Maduro

The United States, along with several European and Latin American countries, rejected the Venezuelan Supreme Court's confirmation of Nicolas Maduro's victory in the recent presidential election. On Thursday, September 1, the Venezuelan Supreme Court confirmed the results of the presidential election, declaring Maduro president for another six-year term, marking his third consecutive term, a decision Maduro described as 'historic.' This ruling came after the US government declared Edmundo Gonzalez, Maduro's opponent, the winner of the election and supported the opposition in Venezuela. Despite this confirmation, Washington, which has also imposed sanctions against Maduro's regime, stated through Vedant Patel, a spokesperson for the State Department, that this ruling 'lacks validity.' Patel said on Friday, September 2, that there is substantial evidence that Gonzalez Urotia was the 'winner' of the election and warned that 'ongoing efforts to declare Maduro the winner will only exacerbate the current crisis.' Venezuelan opposition once again protested in cities across the country. Spain and Mexico also insisted on a precise breakdown of the presidential election results and the public release of these results, not recognizing Maduro's claimed victory. The United States also signed a joint statement with ten Latin American countries condemning the 'lack of independence and impartiality' of the Supreme Court and the Electoral Council in Venezuela. The statement, signed by Argentina, Costa Rica, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic, and Uruguay, stated: 'Only an impartial and independent audit of the votes... guarantees respect for the people's will and independent democracy in Venezuela.' Venezuela rejected this statement, calling it an 'unacceptable interference' in its affairs. Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia also emphasized negotiations to find a way out of the Venezuelan crisis. Josep Borrell, the EU's foreign policy chief, also emphasized on Friday that 'we have no evidence of Maduro's victory.' The Venezuelan Electoral Council, known as an ally of Maduro, claimed in recent days, without announcing the breakdown of votes, that Maduro won the election with 52 percent of the votes. Meanwhile, the Venezuelan opposition claims that results at polling centers indicate that Edmundo Gonzalez Urotia, a 74-year-old retired diplomat, defeated Maduro by a significant margin. William Saab, the Attorney General of Venezuela, also known as a Maduro ally, announced that Gonzalez Urotia would be summoned 'in the coming hours' to explain his 'defiance' of state institutions. Protests against Maduro, just hours after the election results were announced, resulted in at least 25 deaths, nearly 200 injuries, and over 2,400 arrests.