The dilemma for democratic countries in the region

The current situation in Venezuela brought to the table a dilemma that the countries of the continent have been facing for a long time. Given the growing repression and institutional deterioration that is advancing in the region with its consequences beyond a country’s border: to either continue issuing resolutions and promoting focused actions with little effect or take actions that certainly stop the democratic deterioration not only of the country involved but of the entire region, which has more and more members with autocratic governments that irremediably affect the welfare of the continent and its population as a whole.

It is no coincidence that the recent resolution on Nicaragua issued by the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Asuncion, Paraguay, before the elections in Venezuela, urged “the States of the hemisphere to redouble their efforts to facilitate, through individual or collective actions, the cessation of the violation of human rights. Put an end to ideological persecution, whether political or religious, to recover democratic institutions and the rule of law in Nicaragua, through constructive dialogue for Nicaragua’s compliance with its human rights obligations. Put an end to ideological persecution, whether political or religious, the recovery of democratic institutions and the rule of law in Nicaragua, through constructive dialogue for the fulfillment by Nicaragua of its human rights obligations, always within the framework of international law, with respect for the principle of non-intervention in internal affairs”.

It is very important to understand what this paragraph implies. It asks governments to act. The OAS is aware that it has reached the point where the only way to stop human rights violations, to subsequently recover democracy, is through individual and/or collective actions. This was approved by the foreign ministers of the member countries.

What has been done during the six years of crisis in Nicaragua and in the last six weeks in Venezuela, has not had the desired response and the pattern of behavior of these two countries remains clear and challenging.

It took six years for the OAS to put on paper that resolution to a crisis that began in 2018 and where despite the constant declarations and calls from the international community then, the democratic deterioration and the violation of human and civil rights worsened year after year. The response of the Ortega Murillo regime has been the same: turn a blind eye, more repression, and more violations. The same is happening now in Venezuela.

And we say that it is on paper because recently, we saw how these same countries, in a first attempt, were unable to approve a resolution on the situation in Venezuela, which is going through a very similar history to that of Nicaragua. There had to be pressure at the highest diplomatic level so that after several days, the same resolution was approved.

However, days later, some of the Caribbean islands (Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Kitts and Nevis, Grenada, and St. Lucia) appeared in an ALBA statement congratulating Nicolás Maduro for having won the Venezuelan elections, thus sending a signal contrary to what was stated in the aforementioned resolutions.

This is part of the problem faced by democratic countries because the lack of impactful actions and the low costs paid by countries for their anti-democratic behavior inspire other rulers, who only care about private gain regardless of the consequences, to replicate these behaviors and this further complicates the political landscape in the region.

Such precedents should not be allowed for the future of the region. The region is currently under threat. Before it was Cuba, now it is Nicaragua, Venezuela, and others that are beginning to show their anti-democratic face, among them Honduras and Bolivia. These are no longer isolated cases. It is no longer a matter of a country’s democratic principles. Now we are putting the democracy and security of the entire region at risk.

Time has shown that what has been done so far has not worked. The Nicaraguan Democratic Concertation (CDN), considers that as stated in the OAS resolution, it is time to act and from the civil society we will work for this recommendation to be fulfilled, let’s not allow the democratic governments of the region to wait another six years to act.