Pressure Ratchets Up On Venezuela's Maduro Amid Election Fraud Claims

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro remains under significant domestic and international pressure regarding the outcome of the 28 July presidential election. Maduro and his far-left United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) have claimed victory, citing official returns from the National Electoral Council (seen as under gov't control). However, Maduro's challenger Edmundo Gonzalez and opposition figurehead Maria Cornia Machado, have contested this account, with their tabulations giving Gonzalez a sizeable margin of victory (67% to 30%).

• In an attempt to quell criticism, Maduro has referred the country's high court to conduct an audit of the results. However, the opposition and foreign observers have rejected the validity of the offer, saying that the Venezuelan courts are too strongly associated with the gov't to offer an independent review.
• As AP notes, "the court is closely aligned with [Maduro's] government; the court’s justices are proposed by federal officials and ratified by the National Assembly, which is dominated by Maduro sympathizers."
• Potential scenarios range from a re-run of the election through to a major crackdown on opposition forces. The former appears more unlikely with each passing day amid the deaths of at least 11 involved in post-election violence. The stronger the crackdown the more likely it is that the US officially declares Maduro's win fraudulent, raising the prospect of greater sanctions being imposed on Venezuelan officials and its beleagured oil sector.