Caracas Chronicles

The July 28th presidential election in Venezuela was not a democratic nor an inclusive event. The Venezuelan diaspora was excluded from voting. We all know this was another tactic by the regime to tamper with pre-electoral conditions to their favor. With a migrant population of over 7 million, which is the most visible manifestation of the effects of the democratic breakdown and human rights crisis in the country, and aware that the majority of displaced people would support the democratic candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, it was to be expected that the National Electoral Council (CNE) would establish obstacles for the registration and vote casting of Venezuelans abroad. The diaspora didn’t vote but it stayed connected to what was happening in the country, and supported their families and friends towards election day through the Comanditos Exterior and other activities, and it also plays a crucial role in the current post-July 28 context.

The democratic transition in Venezuela will happen with everyone pitching in, and although we may be outside of the country, the diaspora can also be part of the solution. How?

Sending support to Venezuela. If the transition is to happen, Venezuelans need to keep taking to the streets and peacefully demonstrating for the respect of the popular vote. There are costs in maintaining la acción de calle, no doubt. The human cost has already been high. To date, Foro Penal confirms 1,393 arbitrarily detained, and there are 24 citizens who have been killed as a result of the repression. And there are also economic costs, so we need to stand ready to join any campaign to collect funding or send support to those marching, or those who have been detained, and their families, such as the one led by One Dollar for Venezuela. 

Talk to political leaders in your receiving countries. We cannot underestimate the role that diaspora Venezuelans play in the capital cities of their receiving countries in generating awareness among local political leaders about what is happening in the country. We’ve covered it here in the past. It is imperative that those with the possibility of having an influence on policy makers in the receiving countries use all means available to persuade and influence them in making the most adequate policies to ensure the final transition to democracy in Venezuela. We have built the networks, we have the access, and we need to stay active in moving forward and not letting the Venezuelan democracy and human rights agenda die.

Be ready to replicate information about the true results of the election and what is currently happening in the country. The obstacles to access information in Venezuela are many. Since July 28th, X and WhatsApp were suspended, and the police are stopping people to check the information on cell phones, among many other actions seeking to limit freedom of expression. One way to support the protests and action in the territory is to help Venezuelans access information, and especially replicating inside and outside of Venezuela relevant information that is being disseminated by the MCM and EGU team.

As Venezuelans in the diaspora, we need to stay active, stay connected, and work to ensure that the Venezuela issue doesn’t die down.

Protest. Protesting is a human right. Venezuelans in the country continue to peacefully protest for the full recognition of electoral results, and to denounce the subsequent repression by the military and police. Diaspora Venezuelans are called to do the same, bringing their families and friends to protests in their host countries, even if they are not from Venezuela. Why? Because this is today a global campaign in which the support of ALL those who value democracy and freedom is needed, be they Venezuelans or not. The next opportunity is this Saturday, August 17th, in the next World Protest for Truth, called by MCM and EGU in Venezuela, and all cities outside of Venezuela where there is one of us. 

Learn your facts so you can debate those promoting disinformation. This is also a battle of narratives, and we need to ensure that the facts, the evidence takes precedence. Democratic leader Juan Pablo Guanipa recently posted a video articulating in a very clear, and beautifully maracuchan manner, the four lies that the regime is pushing and for which we need to have the evidence and counter arguments clear. For one, they argue that the actas posted by the opposition in https://resultadosconvzla.com/ are not reliable, and that those are “the opposition actas.”  We need to be ready to explain that the opposition did not publish its “own actas” but those produced by the National Electoral Council (CNE) machines, and that Venezuelans acting as poll watchers as well as representatives of the MUD and the PSUV received. Although of course not official, they are then reliable evidence of the electoral result. The regime spokespeople also argue that the resultadosconvzla page contains data of dead people voting. Be ready to combat this lie by clarifying that the opposition page only digitized and systematized the actas that the CNE produced, and did not produce an updated electoral roll. This, actually, was a responsibility of the CNE which did nothing to update the electoral registry thereby excluding millions of Venezuelans from voting, including those in the diaspora. The regime also argues that there was a massive cyber attack on the CNE databases that impeded them from producing the actas that the whole world is asking for. However, that supposed cyber attack did not impede them from making up the supposed results that they used to illegally declare Maduro president. Moreover, the Carter Center confirmed the absence of evidence proving such an attack. 

“The truth shall set you free.” And the truth is our key weapon in ensuring that Venezuela can finally, peacefully, transition to democracy once again. As Venezuelans in the diaspora, we need to stay active, stay connected, and work to ensure that the Venezuela issue doesn’t die down. Let’s be patient and stay positive because this is hasta el final.

* Opinions are personal. They do not represent those of the Organization of American States.