Carlos Gabriel Torrealba Méndez is a researcher at the Instituto de Investigaciones Sociales (UNAM) and holds a Ph.D. in social sciences research from the Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO), Mexico. He has published articles in journals such as NACLA Report on The Americas, Redes: Revista Hispana de Análisis de Redes Sociales, Bolivian Studies Journal, Cahiers des Amériques Latines, Revista Iberoamericana, and Revista Mexicana de Sociología, among others. Since 2020, he has served as Country Expert (Venezuela) for the V-Dem Project: Varieties of Democracy, specializing in participatory experiences in Venezuela.