Democratic elections in Venezuela won’t happen overnight – here’s the groundwork that’s needed first

Despite mounting demands from Venezuela’s political opposition for free and fair elections, the Trump administration and Venezuela’s interim government – headed by former vice-president Delcy Rodríguez – have thus far avoided specific commitments on when elections will take place or how they might be organized.

This paper argues that there is not a moment to lose in initiating the preparatory negotiations and reforms essential for ensuring credible elections. The range of institutional, legal and technical conditions that must be met is all the greater given the degradation of Venezuelan political life – including the deep politicization of the security services and judiciary – under the Chávez and Maduro regimes.

To help address these challenges, the paper presents a set of recommendations, informed by a working group of experts, outlining the steps the interim government, the domestic opposition, Venezuelan civil society and a range of international stakeholders – most critically the US – must take to establish a viable path to democratic elections.