On 1 August 2024, Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia released a joint statement calling Venezuela to release full vote tallies of its presidential election. On 28 July 2024, Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (C.N.E.) declared Maduro won with 51% of the vote. However, the opposition claims to have access to 90% of the votes cast. According to their count, opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez won with 67% of the vote. This is double what the C.N.E. announced and has cast serious doubt on their initial claim. Two days of protests and violence erupted after this announcement. According to the B.B.C., protest-related violence left at least 11 dead, dozens injured, and over 1,200 detainees. Opposition leaders have called for protesters to remain peaceful despite provocation and for Venezuelan institutions to uphold the people’s will. Despite these calls, Maduro accuses the opposition of inciting violence and has called for the arrest of some of their leaders. According to Reuters, the opposition has proof their detained leaders are being subjected to torture and inhumane punishment by the regime. Maduro insisted his government is prepared to show evidence of his victory but the C.N.E. has yet to publish a breakdown of the vote count. The international community’s patience has begun to wane after Venezuela’s continued failure to comply, and several countries have already broken off diplomatic relations. 

“Given the overwhelming evidence, it is clear to the United States and, most importantly, to the Venezuelan people that Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia won the most votes in Venezuela’s July 28 presidential election,” said U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. 

A joint statement by seven E.U. countries concurred, “We call on the Venezuelan authorities to immediately publish all voting registers to ensure full transparency and integrity of the electoral process. This verification is essential for the recognition of the will of the Venezuelan people.” 

Addressing the situation in Venezuela is critical for the country’s security and that of Latin America as a whole. According to C.N.N., seven million Venezuelans have left the country in the past decade to escape political violence and economic instability during Maduro’s regime. This massive flow of migrants has contributed to the border crisis in the United States and the humanitarian crisis in Panama’s Darien Gap. The international community must continue to place pressure on Maduro to respect the results of the election, comply with his promise to publish the results and enter a peaceful transfer of power. However, any economic pressure must be applied carefully to ensure the government and not the people bear the continued brunt of these repercussions. While severing diplomatic relations is a step forward, it puts in danger those who have been granted asylum within embassies. Their future is uncertain without diplomats there to protect them. Their safety must also be taken into consideration when navigating the situation. The opposition’s calls for peaceful demonstrations are commendable and Venezuela’s governmental institutions must heed these calls for peace and justice. 

President Maduro was inaugurated after the death of his predecessor, Hugo Chavez. He took power during an economic crisis caused by plummeting oil prices, which proved catastrophic for the oil-dependent nation. He narrowly won the election that year, and his forces violently cracked down on protests in 2014. When the opposition won control of the legislature in 2015, Maduro consolidated his power by hosting a fraudulent election to challenge the opposition legislature. His allies banned major opposition parties from running for office in 2018, ensuring Maduro’s victory in an election regarded as neither free nor fair. New rounds of anti-government protests in 2017 and 2018 were violently repressed by security forces, and the country has faced collapse amidst soaring inflation and shortages of basic goods. 

This election has the potential to oust Maduro after a decade. Unlike the previous elections, the opposition took steps to obtain information that would corroborate the results published by Maduro loyalists in the C.N.E. This shows that the inclusion of all political parties in electoral processes is essential to the political stability and security of all democracies. This is especially true during elections, where they could be at their most vulnerable. In a future where the will of the Venezuelan people is respected, where justice and democracy prevail, Venezuela’s newfound stability and prosperity would strengthen the security of the region. Simply “closing” the Darien Gap, as promised by Panama’s president, will not make Venezuelan migrants stop. It’s only a temporary fix that doesn’t address the core of the issue. Ousting Maduro from power through institutions and a peaceful power transfer would eliminate the main factor that has driven Venezuelan migration for the past decade and allow millions who have already left to return home. However, it is up to the international community to respond appropriately and guarantee this peaceful power transfer.