Citizens Hope To End Maduro’s Dictatorship As Venezuela Goes To The Polls – OpEd

By Daphne Posadas

The upcoming elections on Sunday in Venezuela offer a glimmer of hope for citizens eager to end the Chavista tyranny led by Nicolás Maduro. For over 25 years, Chavismo, which began with Hugo Chávez, has dismantled the country’s institutions and concentrated power around the presidency. This has led to textbook socialism that has severely impacted citizens, with over 7 million Venezuelans fleeing in search of better opportunities.

Nicolás Maduro, who assumed power in 2013 after Chávez’s death, is seeking re-election. If successful, he would extend his rule to 18 years, a tenure not earned through democratic choice, but through rigged elections.

Freedom House’s Election Vulnerability Index scores these elections 18/100, citing evidence of information manipulation, digital platform blocking, press censorship, cyberattacks, and political persecution. In response, citizens are pushing for a citizen audit of the vote count.

Nicolás Maduro will appear repeatedly on Venezuela’s presidential ballot, 13 times to be exact. His opponents, including the leading opposition candidate, appear much less prominently. The ballot features 38 different political parties, creating an illusion of legitimacy and democracy, despite the electoral process being far from fair.

Since Maduro’s rise to power, Venezuela has undergone significant changes. Maduro is now the third-longest-serving leader in Venezuela’s history since the early 20th century, behind Chávez and the dictator Juan Vicente Gómez. His presidency has seen:

1. A Historic Migration Wave: Venezuela has experienced the largest migration crisis in contemporary Latin American history, with 7.7 million Venezuelans living abroad, surpassing the displacement from Syria and Ukraine, at 5.5 million and 4.7 million, respectively.
2. International Criminal Investigation: Venezuela is the first Latin American country to be formally investigated by the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity, following the 2017 anti-government protests.
3. Economic Overhaul: Maduro’s administration has faced severe economic challenges, including hyperinflation peaking at 130,000 percent in 2018. In response, Maduro implemented economic reforms like informal dollarization to stabilize the economy and address shortages.
4. Plummeting Oil Production: Venezuela’s oil production has fallen dramatically from 3.1 million barrels per day in 1998 to 336,000 barrels per day in June 2020, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

These factors underscore the monumental task ahead: defeating a dictatorship through the ballot box and restoring hope for a free Venezuela.

• About the author: Daphne Posadas is a Senior Digital Communications Manager at FEE en Español, the Spanish branch of the Foundation for Economic Education. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Universidad Francisco Marroquín. She is pursuing a Master’s degree in Economics at the University of Troy, Alabama.
• Source: This article was published by FEE