Venezuelan Social Organizations Urge Dialogue Panel to Speed Up CNE and TSJ Renewal
Fourteen non-governmental organizations in Venezuela have called on the dialogue panel between the chavismo and opposition to accelerate the renewal of the National Electoral Council (CNE) and the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) before December.
The National Electoral Council (CNE) and the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) in Venezuela have been at the center of controversy in recent years. In a bid to address the issue, fourteen non-governmental organizations in Venezuela have called on the dialogue panel between the chavismo and opposition to accelerate the renewal of the CNE and the TSJ before December.
According to a joint statement by the organizations, the formation of a new CNE and TSJ directorates would be "concrete results" of the negotiation process and could be achieved in the coming months. The organizations argued that there are no transparent, technical, or legal reasons to delay the renewal until the last month of the year. They proposed that October could be a possible date for the renewal if there is a willingness to move forward.
The joint statement warned that delaying the renewal of the CNE could deepen the perception of uncertainty and institutional exceptionalism, while advancing the electoral and judicial agenda could become a factor of credibility and trust.
The organizations emphasized that the formation of new institutions with suitable people and transparent mechanisms would constitute a concrete signal that the dialogue can generate changes and open a route towards the democratic re-institutionalization of Venezuela. They also highlighted that this would allow the country to begin recovering an important asset: the trust of its citizens.
The statement noted that, after years of broken promises and uncertainty by the regime of former dictator Nicolás Maduro, "that trust cannot rest solely on declarations of will. It needs facts, near deadlines, and commitments that the population can verify."
The organizations believe that free, competitive, and verifiable parliamentary and presidential elections are a peaceful and institutional way to resolve the dispute over power and recover the ability of citizens to decide their future.
| Organization | | --- | | Programa Venezolano de Educación-Acción en Derechos Humanos (Provea) | | Centro de Atención Integral Psicopedagógica Individual (CAIPI) | | CECAVID | | Centro de Justicia y Paz (Cepaz) | | Civilis | | Ideas por la Democracia | | Laboratorio de Paz | | Movimientos Unidos por el Agua y los DDHH | | Observatorio Global de Comunicación y Democracia | | Observatorio Venezolano de los Derechos Humanos de las Mujeres | | Red Electoral Ciudadana | | Transparencia Venezuela | | Unión Afirmativa | | Voto Joven |
The organizations' call comes after the chavismo and a sector of the opposition, led by former deputy Dinorah Figuera, concluded the first cycle of dialogue with agreements, including the comprehensive renewal of the TSJ. The organizations consider that the negotiation table needs to produce early, credible, and genuine results for the Venezuelan population and that the electoral issue occupies a central place in the expectations of citizens.
In the first cycle of negotiations, without the participation of opposition leaders María Corina Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia, it was also agreed to recover the gold deposited in the Bank of England to attend to the victims of the recent double earthquake.
The current CNE directorate, led by Elvis Amoroso, declared Nicolás Maduro the winner of the 2024 presidential elections without releasing the detailed results that its own schedule required. The opposition, led by Machado, denounced fraud and claimed the victory of their candidate, González Urrutia, based on more than 80% of the collected actas by their vote defense groups.
The opposition's statement, which expressed a desire for "concrete results," was signed by the Programa Venezolano de Educación-Acción en Derechos Humanos (Provea), the Centro de Atención Integral Psicopedagógica Individual (CAIPI), CECAVID, the Centro de Justicia y Paz (Cepaz), Civilis, Ideas por la Democracia, Laboratorio de Paz, Movimientos Unidos por el Agua y los DDHH, the Observatorio Global de Comunicación y Democracia, the Observatorio Venezolano de los Derechos Humanos de las Mujeres, the Red Electoral Ciudadana, Transparencia Venezuela, Unión Afirmativa, and Voto Joven.
