Supreme Court Ratification Of Incumbent Nicolas Maduro's Victory In Venezuela's Presidential Election

Nicolas Maduro. (Twitter/@PresidentialVen)

JAKARTA - Venezuela's Supreme Court on Thursday ratified the incumbent Nicolas Maduro's victory in the July 28 presidential election, which confirmed institutional support for the ruling party.

The Supreme Court has reviewed material from the Election authorities and agreed Maduro won the election, court president Caryslia Rodriguez said, adding the decision could not be appealed.

"The results of the July 28 presidential election released by the national election council, where Nicolas Maduro was elected president of the republic, have been passed," Rodriguez said.

A copy of the court's decision will be shared with the attorney general, Rodriguez said, so that it can be included in an ongoing criminal investigation into alleged irregularities related to the publication of election results that are "allegedly wrong" online.

Election authorities have said since the night of the election, the incumbent Maduro won more than half a vote, although it has not published a complete tally.

The ratification gave Maduro, who served in 2013, another six-year term, which will begin in January.

Meanwhile, the opposition has published online what it calls an 83 percent voter tally, which provides 67 percent support to its candidatepanto Gonzalez.

The Supreme Court does not have the constitutional right to carry out any electoral functions, so the decision is null and void, the opposition said.

" Sovereignty is in the hands of the people and cannot be transferred. State organs come from and comply with people's sovereignty," Gonzalez said in a post on social media following the ruling.

Both Gonzalez and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado are being investigated for a number of crimes, including allegations of inciting members of the military to commit crimes, after they asked security forces to enforce the election results.

Since the post-government vote and anti-government protests that took place afterward, the Maduro Presidential Government has carried out what the opposition, human rights groups, and trade unions have called a crackdown on dissent.

The measure includes the arrest of opposition figures and protesters, investigations of opposition leaders for allegedly inciting the military to commit crimes, passing laws that tighten rules on NGOs, and forced resignations of civil servants suspected of adhering to pro-opposition views.

At least 23 protesters have been killed in anti-government demonstrations since the election, and some 2,400 people have been arrested, according to the United Nations. Maduro said the demonstrators were extremist and fascist.

Many Western countries have urged the publication of complete election results. Meanwhile, Russia, China, and other countries have congratulated Maduro for his victory.

Sources told Reuters the United States had compiled a list of about 60 government officials and family members who could face sanctions in the first act of punishment since the vote, but most of the solutions to the crisis posed by the international community had been ignored or rejected by the government, opposition, or both.