The ruling that Venezuela's Supreme Court will deliver on the disputed presidential election will be "final," the body's president Carylsia Rodriguez said Saturday at a hearing on the July 28 vote.
The court "is continuing the assessment begun on August 5, 2024, with a view to producing the final ruling... Its decisions are final and binding," said Rodriguez.
Most observers say the high court is loyal to the government of Nicolas Maduro, which has claimed a narrow victory in the election.
Opposition leaders insist that their candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, won overwhelmingly, and they have produced what they say are official tallies from voting sites as evidence.
Maduro himself summoned the high court on August 1 to "validate" a victory that opponents insist was fraudulent.
The court heard from all candidates, including Maduro, this week -- except for Gonzalez Urrutia, who has said he fears arrest.
He has made no public appearances in more than a week, while key opposition leader Maria Corina Machado -- a past presidential candidate who was banned from running this time -- has said she is living in hiding.
The National Electoral Council (CNE) ratified Maduro's victory on August 2, saying he had won 52 percent of the vote, but it refused to release exact tallies from election sites, saying the data had been hacked.
The opposition, in contrast, published printed tallies -- their legitimacy denied by Maduro -- that they say show Gonzalez Urrutia receiving 67 percent of the vote.
The opposition and many observers say the alleged hacking of the results is a government invention to keep from having to publish election documents.
Maduro on Friday rejected those accusations, saying there had been "brutal" hacking, with "30 million attacks per minute on the electronic systems of the CNE and of Venezuela."
Opposition lawyer Perkins Rocha said that by turning to the high court Maduro was effectively acknowledging that "no one believes" the CNE, adding that "Maduro knows he can count on a (court) that kneels before him."
Post-election protests have left 24 people dead, according to rights groups, and Maduro says 2,200 people have been arrested.
He has overseen a national collapse, including an 80 percent drop in the once-wealthy oil-rich country's GDP, amid domestic economic mismanagement and international sanctions.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Featured Video Of The Day
Protests In Bengal Over Rape And Murder Of Medical Student
US Recognizes Maduro's Opponent As Venezuela Election Winner: Antony Blinken Explained: What's Happening With Venezuela Election And Why US Is Concerned Peru Orders Venezuelan Diplomats To Leave Within 72 Hours Hindus, Facing Violence, Hold Rally In Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus Responds Woman Finds Phone Hidden In Washroom Of Bengaluru 'Third Wave' Outlet Bangladesh Still Stares At Uncertainty, Officers Resign, Violence Continues Protesters Outside UK Parliament Condemn Violence Against Bangladeshi Hindus Hindus, Facing Violence, Hold Rally In Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus Responds Delhi Court Acquits Man Of Dowry Death Citing Insufficient Evidence Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.