Over a hundred organizations from the Venezuelan diaspora, representing Latin America, North America and Europe, including the Portuguese association "Queremos Volver," signed on Saturday, September 5, a joint statement calling on Venezuela's government and opposition to include the nearly 7.8 millionVenezuelans living abroad in the dialogue for a democratic transition. The organizations argue that attention to the diaspora is not a social assistance issue, but a constitutive part of the reinstitutionalization and national reconciliation, and that it is not possible to consolidate democratic transition by leaving out millions of citizens living outside the country.
According to the document, of the nearly 7.8 millionVenezuelans abroad, five million are of legal age, a population equivalent to approximately one quarter of the national Electoral Registry. However, in the presidential elections of July 28, 2024, only 69,211 people residing abroad were eligible to vote, representing only 1.4% of the adult Venezuelan population outside the national territory. The organizations identify the main obstacles as restrictions on access to voter registration, the imposition of requirements that exceed what is established by law, difficulties in obtaining identity documents, and insufficient consular and electoral infrastructure.
Among the proposals presented, the organizations call for the expansion and strengthening of the consular network with the opening of new consulates, the creation of itinerant consular service mechanisms, the possibility of issuing and renewing identity cards abroad, the creation of a single digital platform for consular procedures, and the reduction of bureaucratic and economic barriers. They also request authorization for online voter registration, the acceptance of various immigration documents proving legal residence in host countries, and the prior publication of locations, schedules, requirements and calendars.
The organizations also want guarantees of no political persecution, so that human rights activists and other members of the diaspora can return to Venezuela without the risk of arbitrary detentions, accusations, document retention or reprisals, with the accompaniment of independent verification mechanisms.
