(Barinas) Justice on Monday suspended the count of votes in Barinas, stronghold of the Chavez family and last of the 23 Venezuelan states whose results of the regional ballot of November 21 have not been published.
The Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) ordered the National Electoral Council (CNE) “to immediately suspend the counting process. […] concerning the candidates for the post of governor of the state of Barinas ”until the merits of the case are decided, according to a decision dated Monday.
The TSJ also indicated that the opposition candidate, Freddy Superlano, is “the subject of administrative and criminal procedures and checks” and cannot exercise “any public function”.
Since the November 21 poll, supporters of power and the opposition have rallied on several occasions to claim victory in Barinas.
On the evening of the vote, based on provisional results, the CNE had placed Argenis Chavez, outgoing governor and elder brother of former President Hugo Chavez (1999-2013), in the lead in this western state of the country, with 37.05% of the vote.
Freddy Superlano was credited with 36.79%, the election in this state of 970,000 inhabitants being played out with a few dozen votes.
At the national level, the CNE had announced, based on 90.21% of the results transmitted, the victory of President Nicolas Maduro’s party in 20 of the country’s 23 states. He has since formalized all the results except that of Barinas.
Mr. Superlano said this week that the delays in the count were “excuses” to avoid acknowledging “his victory”.
Argenis Chavez has repeatedly told him that he won the ballot.
The Barinas was governed by Hugo de Los Reyes Chavez, father of Hugo Chavez, from 1998 to 2008, then by Adan Chavez, brother of the ex-president until 2017, the year of the election of Argenis Chavez.
The EU observation mission on Tuesday highlighted several irregularities, citing “the lack of judicial independence, the non-adherence to the rule of law and the fact that certain laws have affected the equality of conditions, the balance and transparency of elections ”.
President Maduro responded on Sunday, accusing members of the mission of being “enemies” and “spies” who came “to smear the impeccable electoral process”.