with their process leading up to today’s elections
An agreement that describes values and practices necessary for both Venezuela and Nicaragua in their transition towards democracy.
By Haydee Castillo (Confidencial)
HAVANA TIMES – Sometimes, a reality check is necessary to analyze and make the concrete changes that we are not capable of envisioning from our imagination.
I have carefully read the document “The Spirit of July 28 —Agreement for a Government of Democratic Transformation,” signed by the opposition and reflecting the sentiments of the Venezuelan people. Although realities cannot be generalized from one place to another, there are aspects of sociopolitical processes that bring us many lessons.
As Nicaraguan society, we possess many virtues and values to be proud of, and in our historical development, we have also demonstrated dignity and patriotism. But this time, I want to refer to our challenges. One of them is the undemocratic political culture in which we have grown and which permeates our society, often unconsciously.
Among the practices I observe are excessive ideological polarization, hatred towards those who think differently, a spirit of revenge that prevails over justice, marked authoritarianism, violent and exclusionary language, the use of stigmatization and discrediting of others as a form of exclusion. There is also the belief in being the sole possessors of the truth and, in some cases, imposing ones