Caracas, Venezuela (CNN) -- A manual recount of votes isn't possible in Venezuela, the head of the country's Supreme Court said Wednesday, suggesting there is no legal basis for the opposition's push for a ballot-by-ballot audit of the narrow presidential election results. In nationally televised remarks, Venezuelan Chief Justice Luisa Estella Morales said Venezuela's 1999 constitution eliminated manual recounts in favor of a "system audit." "In Venezuela the electoral system is completely automated. Therefore, a manual count does not exist. Anyone who thought that could really happen has been deceived," she said. "The majority of those who are asking for a manual count know it and are clear about it. Elections are not audited ballot by ballot but through the system."
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NEW: Maduro says he doesn't care if the United States recognizes his presidency
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Chief justice says the constitution does not allow for manual recounts
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Protesters bang pots and pans in a continued push for a recount
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8 people have died in post-election protests, state news agency reports
The government news agency tied the deaths to opposition protests and said the victims were all followers of @placeholder.