In a move that further entrenches political turmoil in Venezuela, the Supreme Court has upheld President Nicolás Maduro's assertions of victory in last month's presidential election. The court's ruling, delivered on Thursday, dismissed claims of massive fraud made by opposition candidate Edmundo González and his supporters.

President Maduro sought a review of the vote totals after widespread protests and international criticism erupted following the disputed July 28 election. The court, composed mostly of Maduro loyalists, has rarely ruled against the government, and its decision comes as no surprise.

Opposition volunteers, through an impressive grassroots effort, managed to collect copies of voting tallies from 80% of the 30,000 polling booths across the country. These tallies, which carry a QR code for easy verification, indicated a decisive victory for González, outpacing Maduro by a more than 2-to-1 margin.

González, standing before the Venezuelan flag in a video posted on social media, condemned the court's decision. He reiterated that the opposition had overwhelming support and had concrete evidence to prove their claim of victory.

Contrary to the Supreme Court's ruling, international observers from the United Nations and the Carter Center determined that the election results lacked credibility. Their findings highlighted the fact that authorities did not release a breakdown of results by each polling booth, as has been done in previous elections.

The Venezuelan government has alleged, without providing evidence, that a cyberattack from hackers in North Macedonia caused delays in vote counting and release of disaggregated results. González and his chief backer, Maria Corina Machado, resorted to hiding after the election as security forces arrested over 2,000 people and cracked down on spontaneous demonstrations across the country.

Calls from multiple foreign governments, including the United States and several Maduro allies, demanding the release of the full breakdown of election results have been met with resistance. The high court's certification of Maduro's victory has only served to deepen concerns regarding the state of democracy in Venezuela.

Gabriel Boric, the leftist president of Chile, heavily criticized the Supreme Court's decision, referring to it as the consolidation of fraud. He stated that this ruling once again demonstrates that Venezuela is under the control of a dictatorship that manipulates elections.

As the country remains divided and accusations of vote fraud and government oppression persist, the political crisis in Venezuela shows no signs of abating.