Venezuelan Civil Society Groups and Social Actors: It is imperative to continue promoting the construction of authentic elections in Venezuela5 min read

(AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

A little more than a year after the regional and municipal elections of November 2021, and in the framework of the commemoration of January 23 as the date that marks the birth of democracy in Venezuela, we reaffirm our unwavering commitment to the reconstruction of the electoral route, an unavoidable path for the peaceful transformation of the serious conflict that affects all Venezuelans today.

The renewal of the electoral authorities in May 2021, and the consequent incorporation of two non-official rectors in the National Electoral Council (CNE), implied a decisive step in the process of reinstitutionalization of the electoral arbiter. This process, which involved coordination between political and civil society actors, marked an important step forward in the recovery of electoral guarantees and conditions. Such guarantees included the return of international electoral observation missions, the implementation of a comprehensive audit of the automated voting system and the return of the main political opposition parties to the electoral field.

With the 2024-2025 biennium approaching, which includes presidential, parliamentary, regional and municipal elections, it is urgent to continue working for the establishment of guarantees and conditions in favor of free elections in Venezuela. The report of the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU-EOM) set out a road map with clear, specific and possible recommendations. The United Nations Mission of Experts, for its part, opened a door for electoral technical assistance, an instance of critical importance to continue advancing on the steep slope that will lead us towards the restitution of the right to elect and be elected.

In this context, it is imperative to start working on the elaboration of feasible proposals regarding the registration, updating and auditing of the Electoral Registry, inside and outside the country; respect for the principle of political participation; full access of political actors to the national media spaces, and the implementation of measures to optimize the performance of the electoral body as an autonomous collegiate body, assuming along the way the implementation of the necessary normative reforms for the realization of such challenges.

As citizens committed to a peaceful, electoral and constitutional solution to the Venezuelan conflict, we are determined to continue promoting this path. It is necessary to understand that differences will continue to exist. The present moment demands, however, to identify the democratic principles and values that impel us to perceive ourselves as members of a nation. The 2024 – 2025 biennium is of utmost importance for the recovery of democratic institutionality in Venezuela. In this sense, the events set forth in the electoral calendar for this period constitute a unique opportunity for Venezuelans.

On the occasion of this emblematic day for democracy in Venezuela, we urge political and institutional actors to maintain and deepen the incipient electoral institutionality that, in the November 21 elections, managed to defeat abstention.

In view of these approaches, the undersigned civil organizations and actors urge Venezuelans with a democratic vocation to ratify their commitment to the process of democratic reinstitutionalization, and to demand the following actions:

1) Respect for democratic institutionality and the electoral power appointed in May 2021 in compliance with the provisions of the National Constitution;

2) Facilitation of the conditions for the updating and registration of Venezuelan citizens in the Electoral Registry, inside and outside the country.

3) Respect for the right to elect and be elected as a fundamental premise of the process to solve the crisis in Venezuela.

This initiative is promoted by:

Civil Society Organizations:
● A.C. MEDICOS UNIDOS DE VENEZUELA
● AC Liderazgo y Visión
● Acceso a la Justicia
● Aqui se habla legal Sociedad Civil
● Asociación Civil Saber es Poder-AsoSaber
● Aula Abierta
● Banco del libro
● Caleidoscopio Humano
● Cedice Libertad
● Centro de Acción y Defensa por los Derechos Humanos (Cadef)
● Centro de Atención Individual Psicopedagogico Integral
● Centro para la Paz y Derechos Humanos UCV
● Centro para los Defensores y la Justicia (CDJ)
● CEPAZ
● Civilis Derechos Humanos
● CIVITAS Venezuela
● Clima21
● Federación Venezolana de Abogadas
● Foro San Antonio
● Fuerza Liberal
● Fundación de Lucha Contra el Cáncer de mama, FUNCAMAMA
● Fundación Agua Sin Fronteras
● Fundación para la Prevención de la Violencia Contra las Mujeres
● Fundación para los Derechos de la Mujer FUNDEMUL
● Fundación Prodefensa del Derecho a la Educación y la Niñez (Funda-Pden)
● FundaRedes
● Frente Amplio de Mujeres
● GdelP
● Geografía Viva
● Gritemos con Brío
● Instituto Venezolano de Estudios Sociales y Políticos-INVESP.
● Laboratorio de Paz
● Observatorio Electoral Venezolano (OEV)
● Observatorio Global de Comunicación y Democracia
● Observatorio Venezolano DDHHMujeres
● Observatorio Venezolano Venezolano de Conflictividad Social (OVCS)
● Odevida, Capítulo Venezuela
● Oficina en Washington para Asuntos Latinoamericanos (WOLA)
● Oportunidad AC
● Padres Organizados de Venezuela
● Partido Movimiento Primero Justicia
● PROMEDEHUM
● Provea
● Red de Activistas Ciudadanos por los DDHH
● Red de Observación Electoral de Asamblea de Educación
● Red Comunitaria Derechos y Ciudadanía
● SINERGIA
● Una Ventana a la Libertad
● Union Afirmativa
● Venezuela Diversa
● Voces Vitales de Venezuela
● Voto Joven

Social Actors:
● Alberto Troconis G.
● Alexander Medina
● Alfonso Maldonado
● Andrés Hoyos
● Antonio Perdomo
● Carlos Guerra García
● Carlos Tinoco Rangel
● Carmen Lucrecia González Coronel
● Cristina Ciordia
● Deborah Van Berkel
● Dickson Segovia
● Eddie A. Ramírez S.
● Ela Ferris
● Emilio Abouhamad
● Emma Moreno M
● Francisco González Cruz
● Gabriela Buada Blondell
● Griselda Barroso Morgado
● Griselda Colina
● Ilvia Rojas
● Irani Acosta Villanueva
● Jesús Castellanos Vasquez
● José Bernardo Guevara
● Jose Felux Oletta Lopez
● JUDITH C. VEGA MEJÍA
● Lexys Rendón
● Luis Marcano González
● Luisa Pernalete
● Luisa Rodriguez
● Magaly Huggins
● Maleisi Núñez Medina
● Manuel Barreto Hernaiz
● Maritza Acuña
● Miguel González Marregot
● Mónica Manfredy
● Myrna Machado Martinez
● Rafael G. Curvelo E.
● Raúl Herrera
● Rigoberto Lobo Puentes
● Sandra Flores-Garzón
● Wanda Cedeño