President of H360 defends transparency and respect for democracy in the electoral process in Venezuela

Democracy and transparency

As a citizen and as the president of an organization with deep ties to Venezuela, as is the case with Humanitas360 Institute, I cannot remain silent in the face of the ongoing deterioration of democracy in the country. From a personal standpoint, it is a painful situation, where I empathize with the many friends I have made there. But above all, it is offensive from an ethical and political perspective: with the increasingly concrete hypothesis of electoral fraud, the episode points to the debasement of the popular will expressed at the polls, not to mention the continuous persecution and harassment of opposition forces to Nicolás Maduro’s regime.

The statement from the Carter Center, an international observer present in the territory, is clear in noting that “Venezuela’s electoral process did not meet international standards of electoral integrity at any of its stages and violated numerous provisions of its own national laws,” as well as mentioning “an environment of restricted freedoms for political actors, civil society organizations, and the media”.

When I founded the Humanitas360 Institute in 2015, I renewed my commitment to reducing violence in Latin America and to the transparency of institutions in the region. In this sense, H360 has already organized and supported several initiatives that shed light on the situation in Venezuela, including audiovisual productions and debates, both in places of power, such as legislative assemblies, and institutions like the FHC Foundation. Over the years, we have also had the dialogue of advisors and partners in the country, among whom I cite Yon Goicoechea and David Smolansky, young voices for Venezuelan democracy. To all these friends, my embrace and solidarity.

At this moment, I would like to join the voices of the international community calling for the publication of all electoral records, respect for political differences, and the dictates of democratic life, where authoritarian adventures can never have a place.

Patrícia Villela Marino
President of Humanitas360 Institute