The United Nations Human Rights Committee has directed Venezuela to “refrain from destroying” voting tallies from the contentious presidential election held in July.
These tallies, which provide a detailed breakdown of votes at each polling station, are at the heart of the dispute over the election’s outcome. While the National Electoral Council (CNE), aligned with the government, declared incumbent President Nicolás Maduro the winner, it failed to release the detailed voting data to substantiate its claim.
The opposition, led by presidential candidate Edmundo González, has shared over 80% of the voting tallies through accredited election witnesses. The opposition asserts that these documents demonstrate González’s decisive victory.
The Human Rights Committee, comprising 18 independent UN experts, is investigating allegations of electoral fraud based on a complaint filed by a Venezuelan voter with the assistance of IHR Legal, an international law firm. As part of this probe, the committee has demanded that Venezuela preserve all detailed voting data from the election held on July 28.
Pressure has mounted on the CNE, which is dominated by government loyalists, to release the official voting tallies. However, the council has yet to do so, citing an alleged election-night computer hack as the reason for its failure to publish the data within the mandated 30-day period.
The opposition, meanwhile, has swiftly uploaded its collected tallies online. Independent observers and international media outlets, including The New York Times and CNN, report that the opposition’s tallies suggest Edmundo González won with 67% of the vote, compared to Maduro’s 30%.
President Maduro has dismissed the opposition’s data as fraudulent and continues to assert his victory. He is proceeding with plans to be sworn in for a third term on January 10, despite growing international opposition. Countries including the United States, Italy, Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Uruguay have recognised González as Venezuela’s president-elect.
IHR Legal has called the UN committee’s involvement “historic” and suggested that it could lead to confirmation that Nicolás Maduro is not the legitimate president-elect. The ongoing case marks a pivotal moment in the international response to Venezuela’s disputed election.
