The UN Human Rights Council announces an investigation into the presidential elections in Venezuela

The fallout from Venezuela’s presidential election continued this week at the United Nations Council for Human Rights announced it would launch an investigation into the controversial election more than four months after it took place. It is widely believed that the incumbent president Nicholas Maduro fraudulently claimed victory to stay in power.

The UN’s top human rights watchdog said it plans to investigate the country after July’s controversial presidential election. As part of the process Venezuela was ordered not to remove or destroy any voting records, voting forms or materials relating to the election that would reveal a tabulation of the results, the Associated press reported.

The UN’s decision to proceed with the audit of Venezuela’s elections was announced in a letter to several law officials in Central and South America, who petitioned the UN in October to intervene. Maduro refused to resign or provide evidence from the election to support his claim of victory. The petitioners say Maduro committed “electoral fraud” and violated the “political rights of millions of Venezuelans.” according to the Associated press.

The international community has rejected Maduro’s claims of victory, pushing the Venezuelan authoritarian leader to publish election ballots and figures. He has refused to do this. Even though it is country National Electoral Council Maduro was declared the winner on July 28, it is widely believed that this claim was corrupt and the result of the power and influence of the Maduro regime.

The international community has tried to use soft power to get Maduro to step down. It hasn’t worked. The United States, the European Union, Mexico, Brazil and Colombia have all called on Maduro’s government to announce the election results, as was customary in Venezuela before this year’s elections. However, the Maduro regime continued to refuse this.

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Paulo Abrao, one of the lawyers responsible for the petition to the UN, claimed that Maduro has tried to “run out the clock” in the hope that the world would forget the elections in Venezuela, be distracted by other events and beyond would go. Abrao said the world cannot allow such a tragedy or “normalize the vague electoral process.” Associated press reported.

“We can’t let that happen,” Abrao said said. “A formal case is now being heard in an international body with binding force. Venezuela has a duty to comply with the decision.”