CARACAS, Aug 11: The ruling that Venezuela's Supreme Court will deliver on the disputed presidential election will be "final," the body's president Carylsia Rodriguez said Saturday at a hearing on the July 28 vote.
The court "is continuing the assessment begun on August 5, 2024, with a view to producing the final ruling... Its decisions are final and binding," said Rodriguez.
Most observers say the high court is loyal to the government of Nicolas Maduro, which has claimed a narrow victory in the election.
Opposition leaders insist that their candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, won overwhelmingly, and they have produced what they say are official tallies from voting sites as evidence.
Maduro himself summoned the high court on August 1 to "validate" a victory that opponents insist was fraudulent. The court heard from all candidates, including Maduro, this week -- except for Gonzalez Urrutia, who has said he fears arrest.
He has made no public appearances in more than a week, while key opposition leader Maria Corina Machado -- a past presidential candidate who was banned from running this time -- has said she is living in hiding. —AFP
