Crisis in Venezuela: How a Strong Latin American Stance on Transparency Could Help Revitalize Regional Support for Democracy

On July 28, 2024, Venezuela held one of its most contentious elections in decades. Incumbent president, Nicolás Maduro, faced an invigorated opposition that, after overcoming legal and other barriers to their campaign, consistently outperformed the government’s candidate in the polls. Despite these developments, and contradicting preliminary results from independent exit polls, the government-controlled National Electoral Council (CNE) declared on July 28 that Maduro had secured a third presidential term by a narrow margin. This announcement came without presenting any concrete evidence of Maduro’s victory, as the electoral body did not release the vote tallies, sparking strong criticism from independent external observers invited by Maduro’s government.

Joining the denunciation from independent observers and the Venezuelan opposition, a wide array of Latin American governments rejected Maduro’s claim to victory in the following days. In a region deeply divided along ideological lines, the unified call from governments with starkly opposed political views to guarantee the transparency of the process and its results, before granting any recognition to Maduro’s win, marked a shift from the partisan split that characterized the region’s reaction to events in Venezuela in the past. Prominent regional left-wing leaders, such as Brazil’s President Lula da Silva and Colombia’s Gustavo Petro, have joined the call to secure the integrity of the process, declaring that no result will be recognized until the vote tallies are presented.

This demand for transparency reflects the shared understanding that only free and fair elections, with full disclosure of electoral results, can grant democratic legitimacy to an elected government. This is a critical standard that, with some exceptions, seems to currently underline the position of the majority Latin American governments, in a region that in the recent past has had its fair share of manipulation of electoral processes.

As noted by Freedom House, while Latin America remains one of the freest regions in the world, its democratic governments face ever increasing challenges, as the recent political crises in Venezuela, Guatemala, and Nicaragua show. Among these challenges, the perceived corruption of public officials and colluding elites represent a major factor undermining public support for democracies. According to Latinobarometro, a survey that gathers data on public opinion across Latin America since 1995 and now spans 18 countries, trust in democratic institutions in the region has collapsed in the last years, with corruption and inequality being main contributing factors.

Along with protecting free and fair elections, and holding accountable autocrats eroding the rule of law, governments in the region must protect democracy by tackling the conditions that have influenced citizens’ distrust. The effective implementation of transparency measures for government accountability can be a key component to improve quality of government and integrity, reducing opportunities for corruption and strengthening citizens’ trust in institutions.

The way ahead: real implementation of public transparency measures.

As ERCAS’ Transparency Index report showed in 2023 Latin America still faces an important gap between the commitments to public transparency made by governments and their actual implementation. While countries in the region have made important progress in budgetary transparency and the publication of Supreme Audit Institutions (SAI) activities, other areas such as the public disclosures of assets and conflicts of interests by public officials are less accomplished. In spite of the widespread enactment of legislation on the subject in the region, few countries have implemented effective mechanisms to access comprehensive information about public officials’ wealth, liabilities and interests. This a crucial point connected to citizens' demand for accountability and transparency in government.

Latin America has also a long way to go to tackle corruption in the private sector, as public information about companies remains opaque. In the case of registers of commerce, available information is limited, as these registers only provide general information about the legal status of companies and names of legal representatives, without informing about shareholders or other relevant information regarding ownership. The slow implementation of publicly available beneficial ownership disclosures in the region is indicative of this reality.

Corruption in cities continues to be an important issue. Real estate developments that severely harm communities and the environment highlight the severe lack of accountability and transparency in many Latin American municipalities, where developers often collude with planning authorities. With a few exceptions, capital cities in the region generally do not fully inform their citizens about the issuance of building permits. The coverage of information provided to the public is limited; only some issuing processes are published, and relevant information, such as solicitors, is often not accessible.

These are just a few of the many areas where the region still needs to invest in order to equip public agencies, citizens, and civil society organizations with effective tools to fight against corruption. Latin American countries have made important progress in this matter, often despite the lack of resources and political instability that affect many governments. Initiatives as citizen budgets, open government portals and agreements between the judicial system and press associations to inform citizens about judicial decisions signal the important commitment of many countries to promote public transparency and accountability. The way ahead is to continue making government accessible and open to the public and making citizens allies in protecting the public interest against corruption and illegal private gain. A stronger commitment to transparency can be a crucial factor in invigorating Latin American societies, helping to prevent the further erosion of people’s trust in democratic institutions.

By Nicolas Soto (University LUISS Guido Carli)