Venezuela Ousts Electoral Board Dissenter Ahead of 2025 Vote

(Bloomberg) - Venezuela lawmakers ousted a national electoral board member who declared irregularities around President Nicolás Maduro's reelection in July and urged the Prosecutor's Office to promptly initiate a criminal investigation into him.

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The government-controlled National Assembly appointed Conrado Pérez to replace Juan Carlos Delpino, meaning four of the board's five members will now be Maduro allies ahead of regional and parliamentary elections next year.

Delpino, 65, broke silence in late August after fleeing the country, denying a so-called hack that delayed results and denouncing a "lack of transparency" in the widely disputed elections.

"You came this far," Assembly leader Jorge Rodriguez said during the parliamentary session, while calling Delpino a "criminal and a traitor."

In a post on X after his ouster, Delpino said technicians told him that the votes didn't favor Maduro, and that the government doesn't have the support of the people.

Edmundo González, a presidential candidate in July's elections, presented detailed proof from a majority of polling stations that showed him as winner with nearly 70% of the vote. He fled to Spain last month, saying he was only allowed to leave after being coerced into signing a letter recognizing Maduro as the winner.

(Updates with Delpino comment in fifth paragraph.)

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