Venezuela’s future hangs on facts

On the morning after Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro hastily claimed victory in his bid for reelection – without verified results from the polls – his counterpart in Chile posted on the social platform X: “The Maduro regime must understand that the results it publishes are hard to believe.” That observation, notable for its gentle lack of direct accusation, may have set a tone for ending repression without violence in Venezuela.

Since the July 28 ballot, Mr. Maduro has sought to crush dissent with thousands of arbitrary detentions, arrest warrants for opposition leaders, and the muzzling of social media platforms. Election officials have refused to release the official election results. Tallies obtained by opposition supporters from roughly 80% of polling stations on election night and posted online show Mr. Maduro losing by a 2-to-1 margin.

Yet rather than push Mr. Maduro into a corner, the international community sees honesty as a more effective solution to the crisis than accusation. In a resolution on the Venezuelan crisis adopted Monday, the European Parliament stated that “respecting the will of the Venezuelan people, as expressed in the election, remains the only way for Venezuela to restore democracy.”

Even more punitive diplomatic moves have come with carrots. Although the Biden administration announced new sanctions last week against Mr. Maduro and a short list of sympathetic judges and senior military officers, it has kept alive an offer of amnesty for the president in exchange for ceding power.

For their part, the people of Venezuela have responded to the violent crackdown with prayer vigils and nonviolent protests. Although opposition leaders have been driven underground or into exile, they vow no revenge in seeking a negotiated transition. A truthful account of the election, they say, is not just a prerequisite for dialogue and reconciliation but a solvent for fear as well.

“We are going to go through a process where ... never again will a Venezuelan be afraid to say what they think,” said opposition leader María Corina Machado in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine earlier this month.

Amid the world’s various conflicts, societies and mediators have sought diverse templates for peace – including, for example, arming Ukraine to defend itself against Russian aggression. In Venezuela, the template for progress is telling the truth. That has helped cultivate a more robust civil society than ever before. As Ms. Machado noted, “That starts with speaking the truth.”