Venezuela's Electoral Turmoil: Opposition Abstains from Agreement

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro and other candidates signed an agreement to respect election results, but the main opposition abstained. Opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez criticized the government for breaching a prior deal by rescinding international observers and increasing persecution. The agreement's credibility remains contentious.

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro and seven other candidates for July elections on Thursday signed an agreement to respect the results, although the country's main opposition abstained, saying the government had already breached an existing deal.

The nine-point agreement was presented by the National Electoral Council (CNE), Venezuela's highest electoral authority which critics say is an extension of the ruling party. Main opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez abstained from signing, as did Enrique Marquez.

In a statement released on Thursday, Gonzalez said the opposition had complied with prior conditions for elections established in an agreement signed between the government and the opposition in Barbados last year. "This agreement has been violated by one of the parties, who rescinded an invitation to international observers from the European Union and increased persecution of leaders and supporters of our campaign," Gonzalez said in the statement.

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