EITHERof the ten candidates for the July 28 presidential elections in Venezuelaincluding the president Nicolas Maduro and except for the opponents Edmundo González Urrutia and Enrique Márquezsigned this Thursday, before the National Electoral Council (CNE), an agreement that obliges them to recognize the result that the governing body of the elections announces after the votes are countedleaving no room for possible claims.
The document proposed by Chavismo and made official by the CNE contemplates express recognition of the work of the CNE during the electoral process, in compliance with the established schedule.
Nicolás Maduro during his mobilization this Friday.
Photo:AFP
It also reflects the commitment 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”.
Do not interfere with or ignore the will of the people of Venezuela with acts of violence and destabilization
The document 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”, democratic stability or respect for human rights, among others.
Another point is to “fulfill the duty to honor and defend the homeland and demand the absolute lifting of the unilateral coercive sanctions” imposed on Venezuela.
Main headquarters of the National Electoral Council (CNE).
Photo:EFE
The signing candidates are President Nicolás Maduro and the opponents Antonio Ecarri, Luis Eduardo Martínez, José Brito, Daniel Ceballos, Javier Bertucci, Benjamín Rausseo and Claudio Fermín.
Several of the candidates define themselves as opponents, although far from the traditional leadership that calls them “collaborators” of Maduro.
“Whatever the electoral referee says, amen,” Maduro said after the signing. “Enough sabotage against our country, enough conspiracies. Venezuela wants tranquility.”
Why didn’t Edmundo González sign the document before the CNE?
The candidate Edmundo González Urrutia assured earlier that he was not invited to sign the agreement, which he had previously rejected. arguing that the recognition of the results is already contemplated in the Barbados Agreement, signed between the largest opposition coalition and Chavismo last October, with international accompaniment and support.
But González’s name was on the document. “He did not respond to the call of the country,” said Amoroso after calling him with no response.
González Urrutia recalled, through a statement, that the Barbados Agreement “has been violated by one of the signatory parties”, in reference to the ruling party, by revoking the invitation for international observation of the European Union and “increasing the persecution against leaders and supporters” of his campaign.
Edmundo González Urrutia.
Photo:AFP
González Urrutia said that the electoral recognition agreement, in addition to being already included in the Barbados Agreement, “is an indication of the bias” that characterizes the “unequal electoral campaign.”in which – he stated – the National Electoral Council (CNE) “should act with impartiality.”
This shows the seriousness of the institutional situation in Venezuela, that it is necessary to propose, whoever the proposal comes from, an agreement for the recognition of the result.
“An agreement can never be imposed unilaterally, but must arise from a respectful dialogue between all parties. Dialogue between the parties will be our guide, never imposition,” said González Urrutia, who replicated the content of the statement in X.
The lawyer and political consultant Giulio Cellini told Efe that It is “unheard of” to have to sign a document to respect the results of the vote, at the same time that he expressed the importance of complying with and resuming the Barbados Agreement.
“That shows the seriousness of the institutional situation in Venezuela, that it is necessary to propose, whoever the proposal comes from, an agreement for the recognition of the result, that is the first particularity, not to say madness, of our environment,” he pointed.
The electoral campaign officially starts on July 4, although Maduro and María Corina Machado – the soul of the opposition mobilization – have been leading rallies throughout the country for months.
The opposition denounces persecution, with 37 leaders detained so far this year, while the government accuses them of seeking to overthrow Maduro.
*With EFE and AFP
