Venezuelan president appeals to Supreme Court to audit, certify election outcome

CARACAS -- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday submitted an appeal to the Electoral Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice to audit and certify the results of Sunday's presidential elections amid calls for greater transparency.

Maduro asked the highest court to summon the pertinent institutions "to compare all the elements of evidence and certify, by carrying out an expert opinion of the highest technical level, the electoral results of July 28."

He went to the Supreme Court accompanied by First Lady Cilia Flores, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez, Attorney General Reinaldo Munoz and Foreign Affairs Minister Yvan Gil, among other members of his cabinet.

In remarks to the press upon leaving the court, Maduro said: "I have told the Electoral Chamber that I am willing to be summoned, interrogated ... investigated by the Electoral Chamber as the winning presidential candidate of Sunday's elections and as head of state; I am showing up, I am submitting to justice."

The Great Patriotic Pole and the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, which backed Maduro's reelection bid, are ready "to present 100 percent of the electoral records that are in our hands," he said, adding that the Electoral Chamber should expect the same from each candidate and political organization.

On Monday, Venezuela's National Electoral Council declared Maduro the winner of the presidential elections, paving the way for his third six-year term, from 2025 to 2031.