Venezuela: Capriles to challenge Maduro victory

Henrique Capriles said audit was in danger of becoming a 'joke'. Picture: Getty

placeholder image — Henrique Capriles said audit was in danger of becoming a 'joke'. Picture: Getty

VENEZUELAN opposition leader Henrique Capriles will challenge president Nicolas Maduro’s narrow election victory in the courts, saying an audit of the vote being prepared by electoral authorities risked being “a joke”.

Mr Maduro, the hand-picked successor of late socialist leader Hugo Chavez, won the 14 April vote by less than 2 percentage points.

The opposition says there were thousands of irregularities in the election and its figures show that Mr Capriles won.

Both sides had agreed to an expanded audit of votes by the National Electoral Council. Since then, Mr Maduro has been sworn in as president, and the opposition has grown frustrated by what it sees as foot-dragging by officials.

Mr Capriles has insisted that the audit process be rigorous and include all relevant paperwork from polling centres.

“If we don’t have access to those notebooks, we’re not going to take part in an audit that would be a joke on Venezuelans and a joke on the world,” he told a television station.

“The next step will be to challenge the election, which must take place in the next few days,” he added. “With all the proof, all the elements we now have, we are going to challenge the election.”