Venezuela, a country once hailed as the richest in Latin America has been destroyed over the past few years, its currency is worthless, its productivity is in the toilet and over 8 million of its people have left – this despite sitting on the world’s largest oil reserves. This election was a hope to reverse course and begin building again. But no. In 1977, Venezuela’s GPD per capita was over $50,000 in 2024 dollars. Now, Venezuela’s GDP per capita is down to $1,571, rapidly approaching North Korea’s $1,120.
Nicolás Maduro, the authoritarian leader who has ruled Venezuela for over a decade, has clung to power through a combination of electoral manipulation, brutal repression, and the silencing of dissent. The outcome has left the nation in despair, with countless citizens packing their bags, preparing to flee a country where the future looks increasingly bleak.
For years, many Venezuelans like Frankmer Valera believed in the possibility of change. Valera, a 28-year-old business manager, had been determined to stay in Venezuela, actively protesting against Maduro’s regime and hoping for change at the ballot box. But after Maduro claimed victory in an election that many believe was rigged, Valera, like millions of others before him, decided it was time to leave. “There’s no future here,” Valera said, capturing the hopelessness felt by many of his fellow citizens.
The Election Fraud: How Maduro Stole the Vote
The scale and audacity of the electoral fraud carried out by Maduro’s regime have shocked both Venezuelans and the international community. In the weeks leading up to the election, the opposition, aware of the potential for foul play, launched a meticulously planned operation to safeguard the integrity of the vote. Tens of thousands of volunteers were trained across the country to monitor polling stations and collect voting tallies, the official records of votes cast.
Despite these efforts, the regime employed various tactics to obscure the true results. Opposition observers at polling stations were often denied access to the tallies, and in some cases, they were forcibly removed or even detained by security forces. However, in a remarkable display of courage and determination, many volunteers managed to gather and digitize more than 83% of the voting tallies. These tallies revealed that Maduro had secured only 30% of the vote, while his opponent, Edmundo González, had won a decisive 67%.
This operation, described by experts as a “brilliant political move,” effectively exposed the regime’s lies. But instead of acknowledging defeat, Maduro’s government declared victory, claiming without evidence that Maduro had won with 51% of the vote. The regime refused to release the official vote counts, further fueling suspicions of fraud. As Andrés Pertierra, a Ph.D. candidate in Latin American history, put it, “Basically, the opposition is forcing Chavismo to own up to the fact that they’re stealing the election.”
Crackdown on Dissent: Maduro’s Reign of Terror
In the days following the disputed election, Maduro launched a brutal crackdown on anyone who dared to challenge his authority. The regime’s response, known as “Operation Knock-Knock,” was swift and ruthless. Over 2,000 people were arrested, including opposition leaders, activists, and ordinary citizens who had participated in protests. Human rights organizations have condemned the wave of repression as unprecedented in Venezuela’s recent history.
The arrests were both sweeping and selective. In some cases, people were rounded up en masse during protests, while in others, they were taken from their homes in the dead of night. The government even encouraged citizens to inform on their neighbors through a government app originally designed to report public nuisances. “Maximum punishment! Justice!” Maduro declared at a rally, adding ominously, “There will be no forgiveness this time!”
Among those targeted were prominent opposition figures like Edmundo González and María Corina Machado, who had campaigned on promises to restore democracy and rebuild the nation. Both are now in hiding, fearing for their lives. “These people should be behind bars,” Maduro said of González and Machado. “These criminals will never get into power.”
The regime’s crackdown has instilled a climate of fear across the country. Human rights activists and journalists have had their passports annulled, effectively trapping them in Venezuela. People are now afraid to leave their homes with their phones, fearing that the authorities might stop them on the street and search their messages for any signs of dissent. In one case, a man was arrested simply because the police found a meme critical of the elections on his phone.
Carolina Jiménez Sandoval, president of the Washington Office on Latin America, remarked, “I don’t think I have ever seen this ferocity.” The regime’s repressive tactics, she said, have reached new levels of brutality, with the government using every tool at its disposal, from security forces to technology, to silence opposition.
International Outcry and Domestic Despair
The international reaction to Venezuela’s election has been one of widespread condemnation. The United States, along with other Western nations, quickly recognized González as the legitimate winner of the election. Even traditionally sympathetic leftist governments in Latin America, such as those of Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia, have called for Maduro to release the official voting tallies. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated, “Given the overwhelming evidence, it is clear to the United States and, most importantly, to the Venezuelan people that Edmundo González Urrutia won the most votes in Venezuela’s July 28 presidential election.”
Maduro, however, has shown no signs of relenting. Instead, he has doubled down on his accusations that foreign powers, including the United States, are conspiring against him. In a move that further isolates Venezuela from the global community, Maduro announced plans to ban the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) in the country for 10 days, following a public spat with its owner, Elon Musk, who accused Maduro of major election fraud.
At home, the situation is dire. The hope that a democratic transition could bring an end to Venezuela’s suffering has been all but extinguished. Families are being torn apart as more and more Venezuelans decide to leave, joining the already massive exodus that has reshaped the region. Nearly eight million people have fled Venezuela over the past decade, driven by hyperinflation, economic collapse, and political repression. Now, with Maduro still in power, that number is expected to rise even further.
The exodus has split families, as a younger generation leaves for cities like Bogotá, Madrid, Miami, and New York, sending money back to Venezuela to help their older relatives survive. According to the Inter-American Dialogue policy group, about a third of Venezuelan households now depend on remittances from abroad. Jesus Seguias, who leads the polling firm Datincorp, warned that “migration is going to multiply enormously,” as more people give up on the possibility of change at home.
The Nation’s Bleak Future
Venezuela’s future looks increasingly grim. The combination of political repression, economic collapse, and widespread despair is driving a new wave of migration that will further strain neighboring countries and exacerbate the region’s humanitarian crisis. Those who remain in Venezuela are left with little hope for change, their dreams of a brighter future crushed under the weight of a regime determined to cling to power at any cost.
For those like José Mago, a 60-year-old father of five who has already seen four of his children flee the country, the prospect of reuniting with his family in Venezuela now seems like a distant dream. “Living here is to live with pain, sadness, bitterness,” Mago said, holding back tears. He plans to join his daughter in New York, leaving behind a country that has become unrecognizable from the one he once knew.
Laurent Barbosa, a 35-year-old from Margarita Island, echoed these sentiments as she prepared to leave for Colombia with her youngest daughter. “Deception, indignation, rage,” she recalled feeling when Maduro’s loyalists announced his victory. Despite the recent stabilization of Venezuela’s economy, Barbosa said she barely makes enough to feed her three children. “There is no way to keep fighting here,” she said. “I have to go.”
As the world watches, Venezuela’s descent into authoritarianism and despair continues. The tragedy of its stolen election serves as a stark reminder of the fragility of democracy and the devastating impact of unchecked power. For the people of Venezuela, the future is uncertain, and the pain of separation and loss is all too real. In the face of such overwhelming odds, the only weapon they had—their votes—has been rendered powerless by a regime that refuses to let go.
This is the power of socialism and the totalitarianism that comes with it – the richest country in the world becomes almost the poorest.