The Global Network of Domestic Election Monitors (GNDEM) expresses its deep concern over the lack of transparency and the harassment of civic activists and party pollwatchers following the July 2024 presidential election in Venezuela.

On July 28, Venezuela held its presidential election, which was widely monitored by Venezuelan citizens and party poll watchers as well as limited delegations from the international community. Following the election, the Venezuelan government declared Nicolás Maduro the winner but has refused to publish election results disaggregated by polling station, as required by law. Venezuelan civil society and the international community have reiterated the need to publish disaggregated results, including the results protocols, as well as an independent post-election audit of the voting system. However, the lack of transparency in official, disaggregated results ultimately erodes trust in the electoral system that is fundamental to democratic stability and legitimacy.

Since the July 28 election, peaceful demonstrations by both citizens and political parties have been met with violent crackdowns and the arbitrary arrest of nearly 2,000 protesters. The government further launched criminal investigations into opposition leaders, and the president has repeatedly called for their arrest. These actions threaten the safety of Venezuelan citizens, and impinge on their civic, political and human rights, which Venezuela has committed to protect and uphold through its ratification of international human rights protocols.

GNDEM joins the Latin American Election Observation and Integrity Network (RedOIE) and other citizen and international observers in calling for transparency and the protection of the human, civic and political rights of all Venezuelans. As the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders stated, election observers, including nonpartisan citizen election observers, are human rights defenders who serve to protect civil and political rights of citizens and that “Member States are urged to take all necessary steps to establish conditions that allow national and international election observers to effectively do their work, and to protect them from any violence, threats, retaliation, adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence of their legitimate exercise of their rights and freedoms.”

GNDEM stands in solidarity with our members in Venezuela and all nonpartisan civic actors who are working to safeguard the electoral process, ensure transparency and accountability, and defend the right of citizens to exercise their vote. Moreover, GNDEM condemns all forms of threats, harassment and violence against nonpartisan citizen election observers.