CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress

INSIGHTi

Venezuela’s 2024 Presidential Election

Updated August 2, 2024

On July 28, 2024, Venezuela held presidential elections that most international observers, including the U.S. Department of State, concluded did not meet international standards. Many observers, including the U.S. Administration, allege that the government of President Nicolás Maduro failed to uphold the democratic standards for the election it had committed to in an October 2023 agreement with Venezuela’s opposition alliance, the Unitary Platform (PUD). On July 29, Venezuela’s National Electoral Commission (CNE) claimed that Maduro won 51.2% of the vote, compared with 44.2% for Edmundo González Urrutia, the PUD candidate endorsed by opposition leader María Corina Machado. These results contradict preelection polling, exit polls, and precinct-level vote tabulations published by the opposition.

The United States, and many other governments, called on the CNE to publish ballot records to corroborate the announced results. Secretary of State Antony Blinken recognized González’s victory, called for a “peaceful transition” to a new government, and criticized the Maduro government’s attempt to use repression to retain power. U.S. officials may impose targeted sanctions on individuals who have engaged in election fraud or postelection repression. Biden Administration officials, wary of unrest in Venezuela potentially fueling irregular migration, may resist calls from some in Congress to reimpose sectoral sanctions.

Preelection Polling

Preelection polls indicated majority support for González, a career diplomat and academic. González was put forth as the opposition candidate after the Maduro government banned María Corina Machado from running. Machado had won a PUD primary in October 2023 with 93% of the vote, but the Venezuelan Supreme Court upheld a widely criticized June 2023 ruling barring her from office.

Electoral Process

Following negotiations led by the Norwegian government, in October 2023 the Maduro government and the opposition signed the Barbados Agreement. The agreement included commitments related to the timing and conduct of the election (see Figure 1). The Maduro government fulfilled pledges to set an electoral calendar and invite international observers. At the same time, the government arrested opposition campaign staffers and human rights defenders, used government resources to benefit Maduro, and canceled its invitation to EU electoral observers.

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Election officials reportedly barred some domestic observers from entering polling stations on July 28 to observe the tallying process.

Figure 1. Selected Alleged Maduro Government Violations of the Barbados Agreement

Source: CRS graphics, data from the Associated Press, El País.

Election Results

A number of observers, including the opposition, the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights, and the Carter Center, alleged widespread fraud before and on election day. According to the opposition, precinct-level vote count tallies indicate that González won the election with 67% of votes, while Maduro captured 30% of votes. As of August 2, 2024, the CNE had not released official vote counts to prove Maduro’s victory over González.

The governments of China, Russia, Cuba, and Iran, among several others, have congratulated Maduro on his victory. The United States, Colombia, Brazil, and most other Latin American countries have called on the Maduro government to provide definitive proof of its claimed victory. On July 31, 2024, Organization of American States (OAS) member states failed to pass a resolution requesting that the Maduro government allow for an independent investigation of the election. On August 1, the U.S. Administration recognized González’s victory.

Response to Postelection Protests

Tens of thousands of people have peacefully protested throughout Venezuela since the election. As of July 31, 2024, security forces have detained at least 670 people, including opposition politician Fredy Superlano. Clashes between security forces and opposition protesters reportedly have resulted in at least 11 deaths. Some Maduro allies have called for the arrest of Machado and González; opposition campaign offices reportedly have been ransacked.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, the OAS, and international organizations have expressed serious concerns about human rights violations committed by security forces against protesters.

U.S. Policy

U.S. policy in Venezuela aims to support free and fair elections leading to a return to democracy. For much of the past decade, U.S. policy sought to achieve those ends through sanctions and efforts to diplomatically isolate Maduro. The Biden Administration has supported Maduro-opposition negotiations,

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however, by providing relief from U.S. sanctions, including six-month general licenses allowing transactions with Venezuela’s gold and hydrocarbons sectors; engaging in prisoner swaps; and using direct talks and multilateral diplomacy to urge Maduro to uphold his Barbados Agreement pledges.

In response to Maduro’s violations of the Barbados Agreement, the Biden Administration revoked the gold sector general license in January 2024 and did not renew the oil sector general license in April 2024. The Administration has continued to permit individual companies to seek specific licenses to work in Venezuela. While U.S. officials have indicated the Administration is unlikely to revoke existing licenses, the Administration reportedly has considered targeted sanctions to punish electoral fraud and postelection repression.

On August 1, 2024, Secretary of State Blinken issued a statement asserting, “it is clear that Edmundo González Urrutia won the most votes in Venezuela’s July 28 presidential election.”

It is unclear what further steps the Administration or other countries may take to encourage Maduro to negotiate peacefully with González Urrutia and Machado and to discourage the use of violence in response to ongoing protests.

Congressional Considerations

In addition to conducting oversight of the Administration’s efforts to respond to the presidential election and its aftermath, Congress may consider legislative measures to address the political situation in Venezuela. Bills to reauthorize targeted sanctions on individuals who engage in corruption, human rights abuses, and/or antidemocratic actions under the Venezuela Emergency Relief, Democracy Assistance, and Development (VERDAD) Act (P.L. 116-94, Division J), which expired in December 2023, have been ordered to be reported in the House (H.R. 6831) and introduced in the Senate (S. 3363). Congress could place additional conditions on democracy assistance to Venezuela in the House-passed and Senate- introduced versions of the FY2025 Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act (H.R. 8771/S. 4797). Congress also could consider other bills to authorize various sanctions (e.g., S. 995, H.R. 5670) or resolutions recognizing González Urrutia’s victory (e.g. S.Res. 804).

Author Information

Leticia Chacon Analyst in Foreign Affairs

^{Clare Ribando Seelke}

Specialist in Latin American Affairs

Disclaimer

This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff to congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of Congress. Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of information that has been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role. CRS Reports, as a work of the United States Government, are not subject to copyright protection in the United States. Any CRS Report may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety without permission from CRS. However,