Maduro responded by ordering the Venezuelan Supreme Court, which he and his party also control, to conduct an audit of the results. Unsurprisingly, the court ruled in Maduro’s favor, further inflaming the opposition. Gabriel Boric, the leftist president of Chile and one of the main critics of Maduro’s election process, condemned the high court’s certification.

“Today, Venezuela’s TSJ has finally consolidated the fraud,” he said on his account, referring to the initials of the high court. “The Maduro regime obviously welcomes with enthusiasm its ruling… there is no doubt that we are facing a dictatorship that falsifies elections.”

The Vatican did not respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment by the time of publication.

Fox News Digital’s Stepheny Price and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Peter Aitken is a Fox News Digital reporter with a focus on national and global news.