What can鈥檛 be stolen at the ballot box
The watchdogs of good governance who say democracy is slipping seemed to gain traction Sunday. Venezuelan dictator Nicol谩s Maduro claimed a hasty victory in a presidential election widely seen as flawed. By the next day, however, his opponents had gathered their own tally of votes, making a case to challenge his grip on power.
鈥淚 speak to you with the calmness of the truth,鈥� said Edmundo Gonz谩lez Urrutia, the opposition candidate regarded by many 鈥� even by Maduro supporters 鈥� as the rightful winner.
鈥淎 free people is one that is respected,鈥� he added, 鈥渁nd we are going to fight for our freedom ... [with] calmness and firmness.鈥�
His words are an echo of what many other pro-democracy leaders say in countries where rulers are suppressing democratic dissent.
鈥淔or us, there鈥檚 more than power; there鈥檚 truth,鈥� said India鈥檚 opposition leader Rahul Gandhi after a strong showing in a recent election.
In dictator-ruled Uganda, opposition leader Bobi Wine defined the role of pro-democracy groups in a similar way. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been able to put truth on the table,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 believe in revenge, but we believe in truth and reconciliation.鈥澛�
In Iran, Narges Mohammadi, the imprisoned activist who won the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize, said the people are 鈥渢he determining factor in the democracy equation.鈥�
In Belarus, opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said last year that the people 鈥渉ave chosen the path of non-violence against violence, love against hatred, creativity against brutality, solidarity against confrontation.鈥�
Venezuela is the latest country to find itself midstream in a transition back to democracy. And it may be showing how tyranny unravels. 鈥淭he superficial appeal of the rise-of-autocracy thesis belies a more complex reality 鈥� and a bleaker future for autocrats,鈥� observed Kenneth Roth, then the executive director of Human Rights Watch, in a 2022 article in Foreign Policy.
Around the world, citizens keep affirming that power resides in calming truths, such as accurate vote counts and peaceful displays of equality.
