Maduro reelection: Venezuelan court upholds president’s victory

At least 23 protesters have been killed at anti-government demonstrations since last month’s election and approximately 2,400 more have been arrested, the UN says.

Protests erupted after the CNE declared Mr Maduro the winner on election night without publishing detailed voting tallies.

Patricia Tappatá Valdez, a member of the UN fact-finding mission, said: “The current president of the CNE, Elvis Amoroso, served as a member of the National Assembly for the ruling party.” The National Assembly is Venezuela’s legislature.

The opposition says the tallies prove that its candidate, Edmundo González, won comfortably and they have published copies collected by their election observers on the internet.

These documents, which have been reviewed by independent experts and media, suggest Mr González won 67% of the vote compared to Mr Maduro’s 30%.

Several Western countries have urged the Venezuelan authorities to publish the voting tallies in full while others, including Russia and China, have congratulated Mr Maduro on his victory.

As well as the deaths and arrests of protesters in the last few weeks, the Maduro government has also started an investigation into opposition leaders for allegedly inciting the country’s military to commit crimes.

They have also started passing a law through the National Assembly which would tighten rules on non-governmental organisations and forced the resignations of state employees who allegedly declared pro-opposition views.

The presidential contest in 2018 was widely dismissed as neither free nor fair after opposition candidates were jailed, barred from running or forced into exile.