By Alex Nyoni
On Sunday, 28 July, Venezuelans voted in what has turned out to be a highly contested presidential election. The country’s National Electoral Council declared incumbent Nicolás Maduro the winner, granting him a third term as the nation’s leader. Mr Maduro has been in power since the death of former leader Hugo Chávez in 2013, and has developed a reputation as a ‘strongman’. He has been accused of carrying out years of political oppression and violence. This election saw the greatest challenge to his power yet by opposition parties led by candidate Edmundo González. Mr González’s supporters decried the official declaration of defeat and took to the streets all over the country in protest. Human rights groups have reported 22 deaths and over 2,000 arrests since protests began shortly after the election. Mr Maduro’s critics are not alone in their scepticism of the results. The United States, seven European countries, and Venezuela’s Latin American counterparts have called for the release of official election poll information, and the US has gone as far as recognising the opposition as the winner of the election. Since the vote, diplomats from Argentina, Panama, Peru, Chile, Costa Rica, Uruguay, and the Dominican Republic have been expelled by Mr Maduro’s government over their criticism of the lack of transparency during the voting process.
The official results claim that Mr Maduro received 51% of the votes to Mr González’s 44%. Mr Maduro is confident in his victory and told supporters that he would “pulverise” any challenge to his rule and that he is “willing to do anything to protect his revolution.” The Electoral Council said it would release official tallies from the 30,000 polling booths around the country hours after the election results were announced but has yet to do so, increasing doubt about the election’s credibility. Mr Maduro has been blamed for his country’s extreme economic downturn since he took power, despite Venezuela’s vast amount of oil and other natural resources, which should create a thriving national economy. Inflation rates in the country surpassed 130,000%, and there are critical shortages of food, medicine, and other basic resources. Almost eight million people have fled the country due to these circumstances, political violence, and governmental persecution of anyone supporting the opposition. Venezuela has also been under strict sanctions imposed by several nations, with the US being the main contributor. If the situation continues as it is, the threat of new sanctions looms, which could further exacerbate the nation’s struggles.
According to the Joshua Project, Venezuela is 82.6% Christian, with the majority being Catholic and only 12.2% being Evangelical. Since the vast majority of Venezuelan Christians are Catholic, the Catholic Church is most prominently seen taking part in Venezuela’s political landscape. The Church has historically been very vocal about its political preferences and, in recent years, has faced harsh backlash for it. Mr Maduro has maintained a relative peace with the Church, as Christians are free to openly practise and share their faith; however, he has previously referred to Venezuelan Church leaders as “devils in cassocks” and accused them of being “full of evil, poison, hatred, perversion, and slander.” Despite Mr Maduro’s rhetoric concerning the Church, a group of Venezuelan bishops released a statement on 30 July urging people to “stand firm in hope.”
No matter the outcome of this election, it is unlikely that the humanitarian situation in Venezuela will improve anytime soon. The depth of the struggles is faced by all Venezuelans, both believers and non-believers alike. The Church can play a role in encouraging people to put their hope in an eternal source, that is, Jesus Christ, rather than a temporary human government. Having such a large Christian population, Venezuela has the potential to be a light amid a world in which several countries are experiencing political turmoil. If the Church can remain focussed on sharing the light of Christ and not get distracted by earthly things, they can demonstrate a true and honourable testimony of the Lord’s goodness, not only to fellow Venezuelans, but to the rest of the world as well.
Please join us in prayer for the following:
- For a peaceful resolution to the election process, and for believers to maintain a Christ-like witness in the midst of it.
- For relief to come to the Venezuelan people, and for the Church to step in and fill the gaps by being the hands and feet of Jesus to those around them who are suffering
- For the Venezuelan Church to remain focussed and be an example of trusting in the Lord to the rest of the world
