Without main opposition contender, Venezuela candidates vow to respect presidential election results

By REGINA GARCIA CANO
Associated Press

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Eight of 10 candidates in Venezuela’s upcoming presidential election, including President Nicolás Maduro, have signed an agreement binding them to respect the results of the contest as announced by electoral authorities. The agreement put forth by Venezuela’s electoral body could end up being insignificant: The government has a history of testing and breaching the terms of agreements and the document wasn’t signed by Edmundo González Urrutia, the only opposition candidate with a real chance of ending Maduro’s quest for a third term on July 28. The electoral body has long been stacked with allies of the ruling party who function as a tool of Maduro’s government.