Venezuela's Supreme Court Supports Maduro's Election Win

— Venezuela’s Supreme Court has officially endorsed President Nicolás Maduro’s assertion that he won the controversial July 28 presidential election, dismissing online voting tallies that indicated a significant loss for him as fraudulent. This ruling, delivered during a ceremony attended by government officials and foreign diplomats, is seen as a strategic move by Maduro to quell widespread protests and international condemnation following the election, where he sought a third six-year term. The opposition coalition has vehemently accused Maduro of electoral fraud, claiming that their candidate, Edmundo González, actually won by a margin exceeding two-to-one. Opposition volunteers collected voting records from 80% of polling stations, which they argue substantiate their claims. González stated, “An attempt to judicialize the results doesn’t change the truth: we won overwhelmingly,” emphasizing the validity of their collected data. International observers, including experts from the United Nations and the Carter Center, have criticized the election's credibility, noting the absence of detailed results from the 30,000 polling booths, a standard practice in previous elections. The government has alleged, without evidence, that a cyberattack from North Macedonia delayed the vote counting, further complicating the situation. The ruling has drawn sharp criticism from various international leaders, including Chile’s President Gabriel Boric, who condemned the court’s decision as a consolidation of electoral fraud. As protests erupted across the country, security forces arrested over 2,000 individuals, leading to heightened tensions between the government and opposition factions.