Venezuelan TSJ Suspends Opposition Primaries "For All Purposes"

Venezuela's Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) suspended on Monday all the effects of the different phases of the primary elections held by a sector of the opposition on Sunday, October 22.

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This occurs after an electoral contentious appeal filed by candidate and deputy to the National Assembly (AN) José Brito Rodríguez.

"All the effects of the different phases of the electoral process carried out by the national primary commission are suspended," states the sentence released this Monday by the Electoral Chamber of the TSJ.

According to the ruling, Brito's lawsuit is due to a "precautionary injunction against the unconstitutional and illegal acts of the National Primary Commission, which carried out the primary electoral process to choose the unitary presidential candidate for the 2024 presidential elections."

The tweet reads, "This is the ruling issued by @TSJ_Venezuela ordering the suspension of all the effects of the different phases of the Primary event for being illegal and unconstitutional."

The ruling indicated that the Chamber has "competence" to hear Brito's complaint, as well as "all the acts dictated in the" process of the controversial internal elections.

Thus, the organizers of the opposition primaries must submit before the TSJ "in accordance with article 184 of the Organic Law of the Supreme Court of Justice", the administrative records of the 25 phases that must govern the electoral process.

The minutes of the primary elections held last October 22 are requested including the minutes of constitution of the polling stations, the voting notebooks, the voting ballots, the scrutiny minutes, as well as the regional totalization minutes, the final totalization minutes, the adjudication minutes and the proclamation minutes.

"A report on the aspects of fact and law, pointing out the mechanism used for the safeguarding of the electoral material and the place destined for such purpose; all related to the lawsuit", must also be delivered to the TSJ within a maximum term of three days as of this Monday.

The multiple and serious complaints related to this electoral event "could constitute the alleged commission of crimes against the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela", said the TSJ.