Venezuela’s Supreme Court Backs Maduro as Election Winner

President tasked regime-controlled court with refereeing disputed vote in an effort to fight fraud allegations.

Venezuela’s Supreme Court on Thursday declared President Nicolás Maduro the winner of last month’s disputed elections and tried to discredit opposition evidence that the strongman lost in a landslide, deepening the country’s political crisis.

The court’s ruling was expected, as it is stacked with loyalists to Maduro’s ruling Socialist Party. Maduro, who has ruled with an increasingly authoritarian bent over 11 years, tasked the court with refereeing the election dispute, part of a strategy to combat fraud allegations after the July 28 vote where Maduro claimed victory without presenting detailed electoral data.

The Venezuelan court’s ruling could have ramifications for Maduro’s international support, despite the United Nations Human Rights Council’s contention on Thursday that the bench lacked independence and impartiality to rule on the election. The presidents of Mexico and Brazil—both leftist friends of Maduro—had both said the Venezuelan courts should rule on the election.

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