n 28 July 2024, Venezuelans took to the polls in an attempt to oust the country’s strongman president, Nicolas Maduro. Despite Maduro’s efforts to undermine the opposition, clear evidence emerged that Edmundo González Urrutia won the election. Maduro still claimed victory, cracked down on protests, and banished González from the country. Between the election being stolen and 2024 touted as a “super election year,” it is easy to forget Maduro’s brazen fraud. However, the fallout from the Venezuelan election looms large and will shape Hemispheric affairs in 2025 and beyond.
The crisis in Venezuela is fracturing Hemispheric affairs and placing intense pressures on governments across the region. Over 8 million Venezuelans have fled the country since 2014—putting pressure on governments throughout the Americas and beyond to respond. Experts expect further Venezuelan migration which will put more pressure on regional governments. Regional responses to this election and Maduro’s past undemocratic actions have been mixed—leading to strong disagreements between countries in the region.
For example, instability in Venezuela has already impacted U.S. domestic politics and foreign affairs. Not only were Venezuelan–Americans an important voting bloc in the 2024 U.S. election, but migrants from Venezuela played an important role in the immigration debate. These issues along with Trump’s past, forceful rhetoric on Venezuela (and the rest of the “Troika of Tyranny”) and his nomination of Marco Rubio as Secretary of State Nominee, make it likely that the Trump administration will take a strong stance against Maduro in the upcoming administration—even if it puts the administration at odds with other regional actors.
This comes as Western Hemispheric affairs are set to accelerate in 2025. Elections for the next Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS) are already heatingup and the issue of Venezuela will likely play a major role in both the election and in shaping the future of the OAS. The X Summit of the Americas is also scheduled for next year. At the last summit, who would represent Venezuela loomed large and will likely do so again if a solution is not reached. The election in Venezuela may not end with Maduro ceding power, but it will continue to impact the direction of Hemispheric affairs for the foreseeable future.
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Hemispheric tensions after the Venezuelan “election”
Long exposure capture of the night sky over Charallave, Venezuela. Photo by Jim Romero on Unsplash
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December 6, 2024
In Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro remains president despite clear evidence the opposition won the 28 July election. Fallout from the stolen election looms large and will shape affairs in the hemisphere in 2025 and beyond, writes Adam Ratzlaff.
O
n 28 July 2024, Venezuelans took to the polls in an attempt to oust the country’s strongman president, Nicolas Maduro. Despite Maduro’s efforts to undermine the opposition, clear evidence emerged that Edmundo González Urrutia won the election. Maduro still claimed victory, cracked down on protests, and banished González from the country. Between the election being stolen and 2024 touted as a “super election year,” it is easy to forget Maduro’s brazen fraud. However, the fallout from the Venezuelan election looms large and will shape Hemispheric affairs in 2025 and beyond.
The crisis in Venezuela is fracturing Hemispheric affairs and placing intense pressures on governments across the region. Over 8 million Venezuelans have fled the country since 2014—putting pressure on governments throughout the Americas and beyond to respond. Experts expect further Venezuelan migration which will put more pressure on regional governments. Regional responses to this election and Maduro’s past undemocratic actions have been mixed—leading to strong disagreements between countries in the region.
For example, instability in Venezuela has already impacted U.S. domestic politics and foreign affairs. Not only were Venezuelan–Americans an important voting bloc in the 2024 U.S. election, but migrants from Venezuela played an important role in the immigration debate. These issues along with Trump’s past, forceful rhetoric on Venezuela (and the rest of the “Troika of Tyranny”) and his nomination of Marco Rubio as Secretary of State Nominee, make it likely that the Trump administration will take a strong stance against Maduro in the upcoming administration—even if it puts the administration at odds with other regional actors.
This comes as Western Hemispheric affairs are set to accelerate in 2025. Elections for the next Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS) are already heatingup and the issue of Venezuela will likely play a major role in both the election and in shaping the future of the OAS. The X Summit of the Americas is also scheduled for next year. At the last summit, who would represent Venezuela loomed large and will likely do so again if a solution is not reached. The election in Venezuela may not end with Maduro ceding power, but it will continue to impact the direction of Hemispheric affairs for the foreseeable future.
