The hearings on the electoral dispute began in Caracas as planned, and the former opposition candidate of the Plataforma Unitaria Democrática, Edmundo González, was absent from the first hearings.
As planned, the leader of the Un Nuevo Tiempo party and governor of the state of Zulia (northwest), Manuel Rosales, was the first to attend the Electoral Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ), accompanied by two lawyers.
The highest body was presided over by its president Caryslia Beatriz Rodríguez; the first vice-president, Edgar Gavidia, and the second vice-president, Tania D’Amelio.
The hearing was also headed by Tarek William Saab, in his capacity as attorney general of the Bolivarian Republic.
José Luis Cartaya of the Mesa de la Unidad Democrática and José Simón Calzadilla of the Movimiento por Venezuela also appeared separately before the court.
This legal act is in accordance with article 85 of the Organic Law of the Supreme Court of Justice and articles 12 and 14 of the Code of Civil Procedure, applicable by reference to article 98 of the aforementioned Organic Law of the Supreme Court of Justice, according to the court.
Those summoned must present the electoral instruments in the possession of the political organisations and candidates, and answer the questions posed by the magistrates of the Electoral Chamber of the highest body.
Regarding the non-appearance of the former candidate at the electoral convocation, the president of the TSJ considered it «important that his non-appearance and non-compliance with the summons duly and perfectly practiced» for him to attend today before the highest authority of the Supreme Court of Justice be recorded in the minutes.
In declarations to the press, Rosales stated that they went to this instance in response to the summons of the highest judicial body, which was «clear and defined in terms of being «intuitu personae», and pointed out that they were subjected to an exhaustive interrogation.
The Venezuelan politician, in clear and evident contradiction, demanded on behalf of the Venezuelan people respect for the vote of 28 July and demanded that the National Electoral Council publish all the definitive records of the electoral process.
However, questioned by the press about the alleged evidence and minutes available to the Plataforma Unitaria Democrática and the Comando por Venezuela, he commented that the copies were published on a website, where national and international experts found more than nine thousand apocryphal minutes.
Questioned about Gonzalez’s absence at the court date, Rosales pointed out that «he used the epistolary route and went to the TSJ», but never answered the question of what was presented.
