Venezuela’s CNE electoral council, under fire after declaring a widely rejected election victory for President Nicolas Maduro, on Wednesday described a UN report disputing the outcome as “rife with lies.”
The CNE proclaimed Maduro the winner with 52 percent of votes cast in a July 28 poll, without providing a detailed breakdown.
Maduro’s victory has been rejected by the opposition, the United States, European Union and several Latin American countries.
Anti-Maduro protests in Venezuela have claimed 25 lives so far, with dozens injured and more than 2,400 arrested.
A preliminary report published Tuesday by a panel of UN elections experts found the CNE “fell short of the basic transparency and integrity measures.”
The CNE hit back Wednesday, saying the UN report was “rife with lies and contradictions” and insisting a “cyber terrorist attack” has prevented it from disclosing a full breakdown of polling-station-level results after what it termed an “impeccable and transparent electoral process.”
