Venezuela
Venezuela exhibits low performance across all four categories of the Global State of Democracy framework, falling among the bottom 25 per cent globally regarding most factors of democracy. Over the past five years, Venezuela has experienced notable declines in Credible Elections, Free Political Parties, Elected Government, Social Group Equality and Personal Integrity and Security. There have been no notable improvements over this time. It is a lower-middle income country, with a low GDP in comparison to others in the region. Although it possesses the largest oil reserves in the world and has figured among the top oil producers in the past, misuse of revenues has led to a decline in oil output. Additionally, dependence on oil has left the country vulnerable to oscillations in commodity prices.
In the 1980s, social discontent followed the adoption of IMF-recommended liberalizing policies, which resulted in the 100 per cent increase in the price of fuel and considerable hikes in the price of public transportation. Instability culminated in two coup attempts in the early 1990s and launched Hugo Chavez into power in 1998. His “Bolivarian Revolution” prioritized nationalism and social welfare over liberalism. Chavez also led the drafting of a new constitution, which allowed him to rule by decree, end term limits, restrict the work of independent media outlets, and virtually take control of the Supreme Court. Chavez died in 2013.
In 2014, a drop in the international price of oil led to Venezuela’s economic collapse with devastating social impacts. Social unrest descended into mass protests in 2014 and 2017, which were met with violent crackdown by the government. Meanwhile, the contested (and fraudulent) elections of 2018 divided the country, as the opposition-controlled National Assembly declared Juan Guaidó, leader of the legislature, to be president. Between 2019 and 2021, Nicolas Maduro’s government took violent measures to repress adversaries, which international experts have described as crimes against humanity. In 2022, following international efforts, the government and opposition agreed to restart negotiations on their conditions to hold free and fair elections in 2024 after over a year of stalemate.
Representing less than a third of the National Assembly, women are underrepresented in ministerial positions and local government. The prevalence of gender-based violence and trafficking of women and girls are significant challenges, as are women’s access to sexual and reproductive health. Abortion is criminalized in all cases except when the mother’s health is at risk, and severe restrictions impede access to adequate care.
According to 2011 government data, most of the population self identifies as either Brown-skinned (“moreno”) or white. There are small minorities of Black and Indigenous communities. The constitution and other legal provisions recognize the multiethnic and multicultural character of the nation; however, racial minorities have been particularly impacted by poverty and setbacks to social and economic rights. Extractive activity and lack of legal recognition to ancestral land rights have resulted in the internal displacement and migration of thousands of Indigenous persons to neighboring countries, many applying for asylum.
Going forward, it will be important to watch the government’s willingness to engage in dialogue with the opposition, which could impact the political landscape. Progress (or lack thereof) on the conditions for elections will likely impact several factors of Representation, particularly the ability of opposition members to run for office. It will also be critical to watch how the government addresses dissent, potentially affecting Civil Liberties.
Monthly Event Reports
February 2024 | UN Human Rights Office is expelled from Venezuela
The Maduro Government has ordered the closure of Venezuela’s office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), expelling its international staff. The government also argues that they had engaged in “colonial and abusive” behavior and had violated the UN Charter. Authorities further announced that they would reassess their cooperation with the OHCHR within 30 days. In the days prior to the decision, the OHCHR Venezuela office had expressed its concern over the detention of prominent activist Rocio San Miguel, whose whereabouts were unknown for several days. Local NGOs and other human rights defenders have condemned the decision to end cooperation with the UN human rights office.
January 2024 | Supreme Court confirms opposition leader’s ineligibility to run for president
Venezuela’s Supreme Court (Tribunal Supremo de Justicia, TSJ) confirmed the ineligibility of Maria Corina Machado, who won a primary election held by opposition parties in October, to run for president. Machado had been declared ineligible to run for office for 15 years by the General Comptroller’s office, on the grounds that she had backed US sanctions against Venezuela and had supported the former opposition leader, Juan Guaido. She resorted to an appeal mechanism, established in the context of the Barbados Agreement on electoral guarantees. The latter resulted from the dialogue between government and opposition in the past months, regarding the conditions to ensure free and fair elections in Venezuela in 2024. In this sense, aspiring politicians with a prior determination of ineligibility were allowed to challenge their status. However, the TSJ dismissed the appeal of Machado, the opposition’s chosen candidate.
October 2023 | Opposition’s primaries results invalidated by the Supreme Court
On 22 October, the Venezuelan opposition held a primary election, organized independently, without participation of the country’s electoral body, to choose its candidate. Over two million people participated, the vast majority voting for conservative politician, Maria Corina Machado, as the political opposition’s candidate. Machado, however, was banned from running for public office years ago, after an internal comptroller’s decision related to omissions in disclosure of personal assets, a measure seen as politically motivated. The results of the primaries were subsequently suspended by Venezuela’s Supreme Court after the attorney general’s office accused organizers of incurring in irregularities. The opposition’s primaries took place days after a negotiation between the government and the opposition, after which the United States agreed to temporarily lift some sanctions, upon the Maduro government’s commitment to hold presidential elections during the second semester of 2024. The invalidation of the results and the continued ban on opposition candidates to run is a blow to the dialogue and efforts to ensure elections can take place next year, and will likely impact Venezuela-US discussions regarding sanctions.
August 2023 | Supreme Court orders government intervention in Venezuelan Red Cross
After the country’s ruling party accused the Venezuelan Red Cross of conspiring against the Bolivarian revolution and mistreating its employees and volunteers, Venezuela’s Supreme Court (Tribunal Supremo de Justicia) ordered a restructuring of the organization. It named a businessman, close to Maduro’s government to lead the board that will administer the Red Cross’s assets and work on its ‘modernization’. It further announced the previous president and board members could be the subject of a prosecution. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has expressed its concern over the government’s intervention in its Venezuelan chapter and emphasized that its own mechanisms are able to address allegations of internal misconduct.
Explore past monthly event reports
GSoD Indices Data 2013-2022
Basic Information
Human Rights Treaties
State party
Signatory
No action
Global State of Democracy Indices
Hover over the trend lines to see the exact data points across the years
Factors of Democratic Performance Over Time
Use the slider below to see how democratic performance has changed over time
