MIAMI — On Tuesday, the top human rights body within the United Nations urged Venezuela to preserve electoral documents, such as tally sheets, as it launches an investigation into allegations of electoral fraud in the recent presidential election led by Nicolás Maduro.

The U.N. Human Rights Council formally announced the investigation via a communication directed to several legal experts from Latin America. These jurists had previously submitted a request in October, calling on the U.N. to take action due to widespread claims of electoral discrepancies that allegedly infringe upon the political rights of millions of Venezuelans.

Maduro has asserted that he decisively won the election held in July and is poised to commence his third six-year term in office starting in January. However, the electoral authorities have yet to disclose the voting records that would substantiate Maduro’s victory, as has been customary in past elections. This reluctance persists despite demands from the U.S., European Union, and even some leftist allies across Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico, who have all urged for transparency in this matter.

In contrast, the opposition has released what seem to be legitimate tallies from around 80% of the polling machines, indicating that their candidate, Edmundo González, achieved victory by more than two-to-one against Maduro.

The petition submitted in October, representing an average Venezuelan citizen, alleged that Maduro’s administration engaged in numerous human rights abuses by obstructing millions of Venezuelans living abroad from exercising their political rights, disseminating false electoral results, and hindering judicial challenges to the election outcomes.

Paulo Abrao, a Brazilian lawyer involved in the complaint process, emphasized that this decision arrives at a critical juncture, as the Maduro regime tries to legitimize its “ambiguous electoral process” with hopes that the international community will divert attention away from Venezuela amid various global concerns.

“We cannot permit this to happen,” Abrao stated, reflecting on his previous role as head of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. “Presently, there exists a formal case being examined by an international entity, which holds binding authority. Venezuela has a responsibility to adhere to this directive.”