Nicolás Maduro signs document to “respect” presidential elections

Edmundo González Urrutia, candidate of the largest opposition coalition, Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD), did not sign the document and He said earlier that he was not invited to the signing, which he had previously rejected, arguing that the Barbados Agreement – signed by Chavismo and the opposition in October – already contemplated the recognition of the electoral results.

The document, proposed by Chavismo and made official by the CNE, contemplates express recognition of the work of the governing body during the electoral process, in compliance with the established schedule.

It also commits to maintain a “climate of respect, peace and democratic participation”, so that, on election day and the days that follow, “the will of the people of Venezuela is not interfered with or ignored with acts of violence and destabilization that threaten the well-being of the country.”

It also includes various points that are already contemplated in the Barbados Agreement – such as the recognition of the electoral result or the “guarantees” in the process – or in the Venezuelan legislation itself, in relation to the defense of “the homeland”, stability democracy or respect for human rights, among others.