Election authorities declared President Nicolas Maduro the winner of the July 28 vote without releasing detailed results, prompting opposition cries of foul last week and sparking protests that rights groups say have left at least 24 dead.
Several countries, including the United States and several Latin American nations, recognized Gonzalez Urrutia as the winner and called on Venezuela to release the election data.
Maduro, who called for the jailing of Gonzalez Urrutia and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, took the case to the Supreme Court to “confirm” his victory.
Electoral authorities said they had handed over election data to the court — both institutions widely seen as loyal to Maduro’s government.
Gonzalez Urrutia, 74, who was summoned to court Wednesday morning, said he doubted how fair the proceedings would be.
He said Maduro stated “that if I don’t show up, I will have legal liability, and that if I do show up and submit copies (of the voting records), it will also have serious criminal liability.”
Presiding Judge Caryslia Rodriguez noted that he “disobeyed the call.”
Other representatives of the opposition coalition also appeared, such as the governor of the state of Zulia, Manuel Rosales, who demanded that the electoral body “publish the final results”.
The opposition launched a website with copies of 84 percent of the ballots cast, indicating an easy victory for Gonzalez Urrutia. The government says they are fake.
He also questioned the court’s authority to confirm the results.
Top US diplomat Antony Blinken reaffirmed his claim that Gonzalez Urrutia had won the election when he spoke by phone with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday, according to State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.
The Carter Center, a US-based non-governmental organization whose observers followed the election, said it had confirmed Gonzalez Urrutia as the winner after analyzing available polling station data.
In an interview with AFP, Jennie Lincoln, head of the group’s Venezuelan mission, also rejected claims that Venezuela’s electoral system was targeted by a cyberattack during the vote.
The Supreme Court, which has summoned all the candidates, said it would take at least 15 days to decide.
Retired diplomat Gonzalez Urrutia was little known until he agreed at the last minute to replace the hugely popular Machado as the opposition candidate after she was barred from running.
Machado is also in hiding, saying she is “fearing” for her life, and made only a brief appearance on Saturday during a mass opposition protest.
Two soldiers were also killed during the protests.
Machado on Tuesday condemned the “campaign of terror” in the country.
“Fear will not paralyze us and leave the streets,” she said.
He is accused of jailing critics and harassing opponents in an atmosphere of growing authoritarianism.
Maduro’s previous re-election in 2018 was dismissed as a fraud by dozens of Latin American and other countries, including the United States and EU members.
Maduro opponent defies Venezuela high court summons
