Foz de Iguazú, Brazil, December 20, 2025 — Six Latin American nations—Argentina, Paraguay, Panama, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru—issued a joint declaration today calling for a restoration of democratic order in Venezuela, signaling growing regional concern over the ongoing political and humanitarian crisis.
A Unified Front for Venezuelan Democracy
The six countries reaffirmed their commitment to peaceful means of restoring democracy and human rights in Venezuela.
- Argentina, Paraguay, Panama, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru jointly demanded a return to democratic governance in Venezuela.
- The nations expressed “deep concern” over Venezuela’s escalating humanitarian crisis and its impact on regional stability.
- They specifically cited reports of arbitrary detentions and enforced disappearances, urging Venezuelan authorities to uphold international standards.
- Venezuela remains suspended from Mercosur due to its democratic shortcomings, a point emphasized in the declaration.
The signatories “ratify their firm decision to achieve, by peaceful means, the full restoration of democratic order and the unrestricted respect for human rights in Venezuela,” according to a statement released by Paraguay’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This unified stance underscores a growing regional impatience with the situation in Venezuela, where democratic institutions have been steadily eroded in recent years.
What’s driving this renewed push for democracy in Venezuela? The declaration highlights the “grave migratory, humanitarian, and social crisis” unfolding in the country, a situation that is placing a significant strain on neighboring nations. The six countries also recalled that Caracas is currently suspended from Mercosur, a regional trade bloc, due to its failure to adhere to the Ushuaia Protocol on Democratic Commitment.
Did you know? The Ushuaia Protocol, signed in 1998, commits Mercosur members to uphold democratic principles and human rights as essential conditions for participation in the bloc.
The declaration specifically referenced reports from United Nations human rights bodies detailing the “persistence of arbitrary detentions and enforced disappearances” within Venezuela. The six nations urged Venezuelan authorities to “comply with international standards” in these areas, demanding the immediate release of those arbitrarily detained and guaranteeing due process and physical integrity for all citizens deprived of their liberty.
The document was signed by Argentina’s President Javier Milei, Paraguay’s President Santiago Peña, Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino, Bolivia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Fernando Hugo Aramayo Carrasco, and representatives from Ecuador and Peru. The meeting took place on December 20, 2025, in Foz de Iguazú, Brazil, coinciding with the Mercosur summit.