The bishops stated that "it is indispensable to restore justice and ethics to the electoral system" so that citizens "can freely and confidently express themselves" and that in the future, "elections supervised by neutral international bodies may restore peace and tranquility to Venezuelan society."
The bishops' conference reiterated "the primacy of the individual and his universal rights over and above ideologies, systems of government and special interests." They called upon "all institutions of social life to respect, defend and promote civil rights and to not become discouraged in claiming them," and they urged citizens to "not be carried away by irrationality or fanaticism in the political controversy."
"The people have the right to demand that the political leadership concern itself primarily with their most felt necessities, to know and experience them firsthand and to offer to the people a coherent plan for the country, founded on justice and the common good without exclusions," they said.
The statement concluded asking God to raise up hope in Venezuelans "in face of the serious problems affecting our society, which creates anxiety and discouragement in many hearts."
"We commend ourselves to the powerful intercession of Our Lady of Coromoto and we ask her to watch over us to that we can live in harmony, freedom and peace," the bishops' conference stated.
Frustration in Venezuela has been building for years due to poor economic policies, including strict price controls coupled with high inflation rates, which have resulted in a severe lack of basic necessities such as toilet paper, milk, flour, diapers, and medicines.
Venezuela's socialist government is widely blamed for the crisis. Since 2003, price controls on some 160 products, including cooking oil, soap and flour, have meant that while they are affordable, they fly off store shelves only to be resold on the black market at much higher rates.
The International Monetary Fund has forecasted an inflation rate of 2,300 percent in Venezuela in 2018.